


Lacuna

by KayyteeLynne



Series: My Time at Portia [1]
Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 56
Words: 105,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23898241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayyteeLynne/pseuds/KayyteeLynne
Summary: Lacuna: A blank space; a missing part.*Spoiler Warning* A My Time in Portia fic that novelizes the plot of the game and includes post-game headcanonsAfter her mother died when she was a child, her father took off on some wild adventure, and Kahli found herself living in Barnarock with her aunt. She lived an ordinary life until her 21st birthday when she received an unexpected letter from her father, giving her ownership of a house he had in Portia. Though she always resented her father for his absence, she had hope that she would come to Portia to find him waiting for her with an explanation for his absence. Instead, she found an empty, run down house. She was far from the only home she had known and she was completely alone. So much for second chances...Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6cAbzZRunXQxCh73icfgn1?si=wL4UfXVUQASb9YezjmRbCw
Relationships: Arlo/Female Builder (My Time At Portia)
Series: My Time at Portia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849999
Comments: 28
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

At first glance, the town of Portia was easy to miss. The landscape was not unlike what Kahli had known at home; ancient, battered skyscrapers stood tall, nothing more than a memory of what the world had been like three hundred and thirty years ago. But below them, a small town rose from the rubble. The land around it was vast and green and lush, rolling away in every direction.

“We’re coming up on Portia!” 

Kahli was leaning over the edge of the boat, her arm hanging down. The water splashed up the sides of the boat and cooled her arm. She straightened when Wuwa spoke and watched as the harbor neared. She wasn’t used to seeing so much greenery; Barnarock was hot and dry all year round. 

“It’s beautiful,” she said conversationally, though she really didn’t feel up for talking.

“What are ya gonna do there?” Wuwa asked. “Ruin divin’?”

“Something like that,” she muttered.

Kahli had never been much of an adventurer. Ruins and the mysteries of the world, while fascinating, never appealed to her before. She thought it ironic considering how passionate her father was for those sorts of things. Maybe that was what turned her off to it all. It was because of his curiosities and thirst for knowledge that made him absent in her life. After her mother’s death, her father took off, leaving her, his own daughter, in the care of an aunt. And Kahli had always resented him for that. He was gone, just when she needed him the most. And all she ever got from him was a quickly written letter once every few years.

In fact, that was what brought her to Portia. A hastily written letter from her father stated that he had left his old workshop to her. She knew very little about her father, but he never mentioned being a builder in Portia. She wasn’t sure what he expected of her - to follow in his footsteps? Start a family and run off on them, too?

At first, she wanted nothing to do with the house. But the letter stayed on her dresser in her bedroom, half open and taunting her. She couldn’t help but to wonder why he would reach out to her now, or why he wanted her to go to Portia. Was there something more there for her? A reason that explained everything? Would he be there waiting for her to make amends?

Her aunt tried to convince her to go to Portia. And in the end, she made the decision to leave Barnarock. But it wasn’t to appease her aunt or her father. In truth, a part of her envied her father. He was out living some lavish life of adventure, chasing his dreams, and even though she resented him for that, she couldn’t help but reflect on her own, boring, meaningless life.

And what did she have going for her in Barnarock, anyway? She never made much of a life for herself. She wasn’t a builder, a ruin diver, an adventurer. She had no real goals or dreams. Maybe Portia was a chance for her to start over; reinvent herself. She didn’t know the first thing about being a builder, or even the world, but everyone had to start somewhere, right?

“We get someone like you once in a while, always seeking that adventure,” Wuwa said, interrupting her thoughts. “Good to be young!”

Adventure. Just like her father. Maybe that was what he wanted afterall; a father-daughter duo team.

The boat pulled up to the dock and Kahli hopped out.

“Good luck to ya!” Wuwa called to her.

Kahli waved, then turned when she heard her name. She smiled as a gentleman approached her. She didn’t know the people of Portia personally, but had seen Presley a few times over the years.

“Good to see you again,” Presley said warmly. “Hope you had a pleasant journey. From Baranock, right? That’s quite far. Let me show you to your workshop. It’s not far from here.”

Kahli followed him away from the harbor.

“I didn’t know my father very well,” she said. “I didn’t even know he had a place here.”

“No one’s occupied it since your father left Portia years ago. He was a good friend.”

It only took a few minutes walk from the harbor to get to the house.

“Here we are,” Presely said with a sigh. “This place has sure seen some wear and tear.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. The house was certainly rundown, but it showed potential.

“Looks homey.”

Presley turned to her. “I’ve got a letter from your father here. He asked me to give it to you when you got here.”

Kahli took the letter from him. “Oh.”

“Well, I’ll leave you be, now. Get some rest. You’ll have a lot of work ahead of you fixing up this place. And maybe you can do some work for us around town. Come to the commerce guild when you’re ready. I’ll be happy to give you a builder license if you choose to follow in your father’s footsteps.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow.”

Presley bid her goodnight and Kahli watched as he made his way into town. When he was gone, she opened the letter from her father.

_ When you read this letter, I’ll already be on the other side of the world. I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry I’m not able to be the father that you want. This was all so sudden, I didn’t have much time to tell you or figure out how to take care of you. Then I thought about this workshop. It might not look like much, but it will brace you from the wind and cover you from the rain. I leave you with my handbooks, but the rest is up to you. Do your best and live a wonderful life! You’ll always be my pride and joy! _

An old, rundown house and some notebooks; that was all that waited for here in Portia. All that her father had left behind for her. He was not here with an apology or an explanation. He wasn’t here to whisk her away on an adventure with him. Just as he had been for the last eleven years, he was still absent from her life.

Kahli crumpled the letter angrily in her hand and threw it to the ground. She left the only home she had ever known - the only family she had left - to start over from nothing in some no name town where she didn’t know a single soul. She stupidly chased some idea that she could have a new life - or even make amends with her long lost father - only to be left with nothing. All he wanted for her was to live the life he left behind.

But at least she wasn’t alone. He left Portia and his friends just as he had left her. Though, it didn’t seem that Presley shared in her anger towards him. She couldn’t be sure how well they knew each other, but she was certain Presley probably knew her father better than she did. Maybe he would have some answers for her, but she didn’t hold her breath.

Kahli made her way inside the house. It was a good sized home, clearly built with intention for a family with a few large, empty rooms and a second floor. She put her bags down on the floor, then took a moment to inspect each room. There were a few broken windows that would need fixing soon, and she was sure that would fix the draft she felt. There was a table in the center of the main room and a single bed in one of the rooms on the second floor.

Kahli wasn’t a builder, but she thought it unlikely that she would have help fixing up the rundown house her father left her. It seemed maybe she would be a builder like her father once was after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

The early spring morning was cool, but the rising sun promised warmth in the coming hours. Still, Kahli shivered in the damp, empty house. She cursed her father silently as she dressed quickly and trudged through the house. She spent most of the evening debating whether to return to Barnarock, but finally decided against it. Even though she was completely alone in Portia, she didn’t exactly have much back home, either. And her aunt was all too eager to get her out of the house.

It was time she get out into the world and make a life for herself. She needed to find purpose, to find her place in the world. She had no idea where to start, but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. It felt like a slap in the face, but she would make the best of it. It sure beat the long boat ride back, anyway.

She knew she would need to make some money if she wanted to do anything, and though she didn’t have any particular set of skills, her father did leave her with notebooks upon notebooks of sketches and instructions. It seemed she would be a builder after all. At least it would bring in some money.

Her stomach growled. Money for food. And coffee. She desperately needed both.

She stepped outside into the warmth of the sun and took a moment to take in her surroundings. A vast wheat field was spread out in front of her just on the other side of the road. She could make out a few buildings beyond the field, and what looked to be several other fields lush with green grass. She could barely make out the shapes of cows and horses grazing quietly.

To her left was the road back to the harbor. She had a clear view of the ocean, the sun glittering on its surface. Green, rolling fields stretched on behind her house to the distance mountains. And the center of town, tucked in behind its tall walls, was to her right.

She stepped through the gate and casually checked the mailbox, as if expecting to find another note from her father, but it was empty. She sighed, then followed the road through the gates and into town.

It was early in the morning, but people milled about the streets, stepping out of their homes and chatting with one another. A few kids ran down a hill, laughing and shouting to one another with book bags on their backs. Across the plaza was a row of buildings, clearly marked. The first one read A&G, the second read Commerce Guild, and the third read Townhall.

Kahli made her way across the plaza, making eye contact with a few curious strangers. She offered them smiles in greeting, feeling shy and overwhelmed. She hurried across toward the commerce building, trotting up the steps and inside. 

A young man stood behind a round desk, and he looked up when Kahli entered. He offered her a smile and a soft hello in greeting. As promised, Presley was waiting, and he immediately approached her.

“There you are! Glad you came by. How ar eyou settling in?”

“Alright,” Kahli said sheepishly.

“Good, good,” Presley said. “Let me introduce you to the commerce guild. We’re the organization that orchestrates trade across the entire Free Cities region. Naturally, this is the Portia branch. We're pretty busy throughout the year. Lots of people comission our builders here. So, if you’re looking to make some money, this is the place to be. Whatta ya say? Up for the challenge?”

“Guess I don’t have much of a choice,” Kahli said.

“Well,” Presley started, hesitant. 

Kahli offered him a smile. She had to remind herself not to take her anger towards her father out on anyone else. “I mean,” she started. “I just… I’m not my father.”

Presley offered her a kind smiled. “Well, now,” he started. “There’s a place for everyone here in Portia. If you decide this isn’t for you, I’m sure we can find something else, hm?”

“I’m up to give it a try,” Kahli said. “How do I start?”

“Well, you’ll need to register your workshop with Mayor Gale. Once you do that, you can start taking commissions and earning some money. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Kahli followed Presley next door. A short, round man sat behind a large desk, and he stood as they entered. 

“Gale,” Presley started. “This Is Kahli, Maurice’s daughter. She got in last night. Here to register with the commerce guild.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Gale said excitedly. “Welcome to Portia, Kahli! I’m Gale, the mayor of this town. It is truly wonderful to see young people getting involved in the telesis of our society.”

Kahli smiled. “Portia is beautiful. I can’t believe my father never mentioned being here.”

Gale hesitated. “Well, we’re glad to have you here.” He turned to his desk and shuffled through some folders for a moment, then pulled out a few pages paperclipped together. He moved to Kahli and handed them to her.

“Let’s get you set up then, shall we? Just need you to fill out some information here. Here, have a seat.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and Kahli sat. She took up a pen and began filling out the information as Gale continued to speak, informing her of the weekly town wide meetings and rambling on about some of the citizens in town.

“You’ll get to know everyone quickly, I’m sure,” he said. “You’ll also see Arlo, Remington, and Sam around a lot. They’re part of the Civil Corps. They’re responsible for keeping Portia safe, though I’m sure you’re familiar with the Corps. And there’s Petra and Merlin at the research center just down the road, next to the school. They’ll be able to help provide diagrams for some of your commissions, so be sure to stop in when you get a chance.”

Kahli finished filling out the forms as he spoke. She signed her name at the end and handed them to Gale. “Petra and Merlin, got it.”

“Well, now,” Presley said. “You’re a bonafide workshop owner! Your father would have been proud!”

“Sure,” Kahli said with a shrug.

“Thanks for your help, Gale,” Presley said to the mayor. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Good luck, Kahli. I look forwad to having you around town.”

Kahli followed Presley back to the commerce guild, listening as he babbled on about the commission process. Inside, they stopped at a bulletain board.

“Commissions get posted here,” he explained to her. “Based on the speed and quality of your work, we make a ranking of the workshops every week. Here, see?”

Kahli bit her lip. “There are other workshops?”

“Yup! Adding yours, there will be five workshops in our jurisdiction. But I bet you’ll be number one in know time, just like your father.”

“Sure,” she muttered.

“Once you’re done with your orders, you can pick up the commission fee from Antoine if it’s from the guild or directly from whoever commissioned you.”

The young man behind the round desk looked up at the mention of his name and waved to Kahli.

“You’ll likely make most of your money through the guild, but you can build and sell directly to the market as well. And since you’re just starting out, I’ve saved a commission for you. Your first one.”

But before Kahli could take the page from Presley, the door opened and a man entered. He immediately sneered at them, then snatched the page from Presley’s outstretched hand.

“Playing favorites are we?”

“Higgins,” Presley said sternly. “Don’t you have enough work to keep you busy?”

“There are never too many commissions,” Higgins said. His gaze narrowed on Kahli before stepping out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

“That’s Higgins,” Presley said, his jaw clenched. “He’s the owner of the current number one workshop. Brilliant businessman, but I don’t like the way he does things.” He sighed, then turned to Kahli. “I’m sorry, that was the last one for today.”

Kahli offered him a smile. It was starting to seem that her decision to start a life in Portia was the wrong choice to make. Fate, destiny, whatever it was, it was clear to her that this was not the path she should be on.

She opened her mouth to offer an excuse, already planning to leave in the middle of the night like she was never here (oh, how she wish that didn’t make her her father’s daughter…) when the door opened once more. This time, a tall, red headed man entered, and he grinned when he saw Presley and Kahli.

“Hey, Pres,” he started. “I’ve got a job for ya.”

“Well, whatta ya know. Everything happens for a reason, hm? Arlo. Perfect timing. This is Kahli. She’s new in town and I’m sure she’d love to take on a new challenge.”

“Excellent,” Arlo said. “We’re looking to build a bridge to Amber Island.”

“So Gale finally up up the money?”

“Yeah, he figured that place coule be a real tourist attraction, with the haunted cave and all.”

Presley turned to Kahli. “This is a big first project. Think you can handle it?”

“I think that Higgins guy could use a little competition.”

“I like this one,” Arlo said with a grin.

Kahli blushed and pulled her gaze away. “So,” she started. “How, uh, how do I do this?”

“Your father has built a few bridges for us in the past. I’m sure he has some notes somewhere. You’ll need to gather the materials, though. There are a couple ruins here you can use to get what you need. It’ll take a little mining.”

“You’ll build up those muscles in no time,” Arlo said with a nod, his arms folded.

Kahli looked down at her arms. She supposed she was lacking in that area. She blew her bangs out of her face. “What the hell did I get myself involved in?”

Presley laughed. “Nonsense,” he said, pushing her out the door. “I believe in you. Better get to work now, hm?”

“And be careful in those ruins,” Arlo called after her. “I don’t want to have to rescue any damsels in distress.”

Kahli turned to throw a comeback at him, but the door was already closed. She stood outside in the plaza, blinking at the door for a moment, then sighed. So, this was it. This was her life now in Portia.


	3. Chapter 3

Kahli hesitated as she walked the road back to the house. Sitting on the fence was a young, blonde, freckled face woman, and she greeted Kahli with a bright smile as she approached. She jumped off the fence.

“You must be Kahli!”

“I think you’ve mistaken be for the other new chick in town,” Kahli said with a smirk.

The woman laughed. “I’m Emily! I’m your neighbor. I live with my grandmother right up there at the farm! I wanted to introduce myself and give you this.” She dug through a bag at her feet and pulled out a pie. “Granny made it for you. She would have come herself, but she has a hard time getting around. But she’s excited to meet you, so come by sometime, yeah?”

Kahli took the pie from Emily. “What if I’m a serial killer?”

“Ha! Well, just make sure you tell Gran you liked the pie, first, okay?”

“Unless this is all a plot to get rid of me,” Kahli said. “She poisoned the pie, didn’t she?”

Emily grinned and rolled her eyes. “She may have added a… secret ingredient.”

“Is it love?”

Emily laughed. “So, I know you’ve only been here for like, a day, but how do you like Portia so far?”

“It’s nice,” Kahli said. “I’m not used to seeing so much greenery.”

“Where did you live before?”

“Barnarock.”

Emily nodded. “Ah, yep. You’re not in Barnarock anymore, girl. But everyone here’s really nice.”

“Hm,” Kahli started. “Even that Higgins guy?”

“Well, everyone else.” She laughed. “Who have you met so far?”

Kahli pinched her lips together as she tried to recall some names. “Well, Presley and Gale. And, uh, Antoine. And Arlo. And some other names were mentioned, but I haven’t met them. Petra and… Merlin? And Sam and Remington.”

“Ah, yes, the good ol’ Corps. You’ll see a lot of them as they make their patrols. Arlo is the leader of the Portia branch here.” She leaned in and nudged Kahli with her elbow. “And he’s not bad to look at, either.”

Kahli blushed. “Well, alright, then.”

Emily laughed. “I hear he’s single.”

“That’s… good to know.”

Emily pushed herself back onto the fence. “There’s a few cute guys around,” she continued on. “Have you met Dr. Xu?” She sighed dreamily. “Gotta love a good looking doctor, am I right?”

“I guess.”

“Unless women are more your style,” she continued. “There’s Phyllis.” She whistled. “Beauty and brains, that one. She works with Dr. Xu. Sam, of course. She’s a fun, spunky little thing. And Petra. Very smart. Very cute.”

“I should probably just date ‘em all,” Kahli said.

Emily shrugged. “Might as well.” She grinned. “Unless… you’ve got someone back in Barnarock?”

Kahli shook her head. “Nope. I, uh, don’t have the best dating history.”

“Are you the crazy type?”

“I like to think I’m low on the crazy scale.” Kahli shrugged. “Just never had a relationship that lasted for more than a few months. They always end up being weird or assholes or boring.”

Emily laughed. “Well, I think everyone here is pretty normal and interesting. You’ll see. And I get the sense you’re interesting, too. You’ll be liked around here.”

“I hope so.” Kahli turned to face the workshop. “Don’t tell anyone, but I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

“You know, I don’t think anyone here knows what they’re doing, really.” She shrugged. “I think you’ll find that a lot of people here are kinda like you. Just kinda ended up here, yanno?”

“What about you?”

“I was born and raised here,” Emily said. “I always wanted to go out into the world and explore it like my grandfather did. But my parents work in Atara and I didn’t want to leave Gran alone, so I stayed to help her on the ranch. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love being here and have no regrets, but it certainly wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing.” She paused. “I’m guessing you didn’t expect to be a builder, then?”

Kahli shook her head. “To be honest, I never really had any goals or dreams.” She shrugged. “I’m boring and not ambitious, I guess.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Emily said. “You came here. That’s something.”

Kahli frowned. “I don’t know why I came here,” she said. “I don’t know what I thought I’d find here. Answers, I guess. Explanations. I dunno. But so far, I’ve found nothing. Shouldn’t have expected anything, really.”

“I thought your father gave you this place.”

“He did. But I haven’t seen him in years. He dumped me on my aunt after my mother died and took off on some adventure of his own.” She rolled her eyes. “You know, I think at one point, I wanted to be like him. Running off on some adventure and leaving everything else behind. But then as I got older I realized how fucked up it all was.”

Emily frowned. “I’m sorry. That sounds shitty.”

Kahli shrugged. “Well, now you know way more about me than I’m sure you wanted to know.”

Emily offered her a warm smile. “No way,” she said. “It’s nice to have a friend to talk to.”

“You might change your mind.”

Emil laughed and pushed herself off the fence. “We’ll see,” she said. “I’ll let you get to work. Or, attempt to work, anyway.” She winked. “Good luck. Enjoy the pie! And don’t be a stranger!”

*****

Kahli spent the rest of the day and well into the evening digging out her father’s old notebooks and flipping through the pages of notes. To her relief, her father kept detailed notes and diagrams, and after digging through the old workshop on the property, she managed to dig out some of his old equipment. It was all foriegn to her, but after a couple of hours, she managed to figure out what each machine did and how to use it. She found some notes on the other bridges he had built and made note of the process. Wood boards would need to be cut, bricks would need to be made, and somehow, she would have to melt some copper and bronze into pipes and plates. She was certain she should have had some kind of college degree to do all this. At the very least, some kind of knowledge of how to operate the machines without losing a finger. Maybe the people of Portia assumed her father had passed down this knowledge to her.

Boy were they wrong.

Kahli dreamt in diagrams that night, unable to get them out of her head. They haunted her, causing her to toss and turn for most of the night until a distant rooster crowed to the sunrise.

She sat at the table with a luke warm cup of coffee in her hands, her eyelids drooping low as she stared off into space. She would have to start somewhere, and she supposed her best option was to begin gathering the materials she would need. Wood. Copper. Tin. She groaned to herself when she realized she would need to mine in the ruins for the copper and tin.

What had she gotten herself into?

When she finished her coffee, she dragged herself outside, only to be greeted by two questionably dressed men. They were tall and lanky, and if she were being honest, the bald one looked like a complete idiot. His partner spoke first.

“How do, new citizen? I’m Agent T, and this is my partner, Agent H. We are a part of the Free Cities Deb Collection Agency.”

Kahli hesitated. “Can I help you?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “It has come to our attention that you are the offspring of the former owner of this workshop. Is that correct?”

“I am,” she said warily.

“Oh, good! Your father accrued 50,000 Gols in debt from his business. Since we cannot find him, the debt has fallen to you, his closest kin. Because I’m a nice guy, I’ll give you a week to come up with the money. If you don’t pay up, we’ll take his house as collateral. If you try to run, we will inform the Civil Corps. That’s all. You have a good day, now!”

Kahli stared at them, dumbfounded, as they turned away and walked briskly down the road. As they disappeared over the hill, a realization washed over her.

“Sonnovabitch!” She shouted. Leave it to her father to shove all his problems on to her.


	4. Chapter 4

“Debt collector’s agency?” Gale echoed. He hesitated. “There is such a thing… but I didn’t know your father had any debt. Next time they stop by, send them to me so we can work out a deal. You’ve worked hard for Portia, so it’s the least we can do.”

Kahli sighed. “Thanks,” she muttered. She couldn’t believe it was true, which is why she came to the mayor as soon as she could. But it seemed that there was a very real possibility that it was true, and that her father had left her to clean up his mess.

“You should also have a talk with Martha,” Gale continued. “She had to deal with some debt when her husband passed. Maybe she can give you some legal pointers?”

It was better than nothing, and it gave her a chance to see more of the town instead of being stuck in a workshop without a clue as to what to do. She followed Gale’s directions until she found Martha. After introducing herself, she explained the situation to her.

“I’m so sorry to hear that you’re dealing with your father’s debt,” Martha said, sounding sincere. “Though, from what I can remember, he didn’t seem like the type who’d be in debt. I’ve had to deal with the debt agency before. The point man around Portia is actually Mr. Isaac, so they’re very easy to deal with and very fair. Don’t worry too much!”

“Isaac?” Kahli echoed. She raised a brow. “That’s not who approached me.”

“That can’t be right,” Martha started. “Unless something happened that I’m not aware of. Mr. Isaac should still be the sole representative in our town. Maybe you should talk with him. I’m sure he’ll set the record straight.”

It seemed she would be spending the day running around town. But at least she could put off ruin diving for another day.

The older gentleman wasn’t hard to find, and to her surprise, he confirmed what she so desperately needed to hear.

“What are you yapping about? Your father didn’t have any debt. Heck, I’d even classify him as a penny pincher during his time here. Whoever came to you wasn’t from the debt agency.”

“They called themselves Agent T and Agent H,” Kahli explained.

“Tuss and Huss!” Isaac growled. “These two buffoons are at it again!”

“I’m sorry?”

“Those two idiots are brothers from around Portia. They’re bandits, or at least they try to be. They make some trouble now and then, but they’re mostly just a pair of imbeciles.”

Kahil wanted to feel relieved that there was no debt to be paid, but she wasn’t sure how much trouble these two men would cause her. “What should I do?”

“Well, I’d ignore them, but that’s just me. Maybe you can have the Civil Corps do something about it.”

Kahli sighed. At the very least, it seemed the people of Portia were familiar with these two. Hopefully they would be dealt with swiftly. The last thing she needed, however, was an enemy making trouble for her in the future.

Kahli found her way up the hill toward the Civil Corps building. Arlo was standing outside at the stables, grooming his horse.

“And what do I owe this pleasure?” he said in greeting.

“I hear you can take care of problems,” Kahli said.

Arlo grinned. “Maybe I can. What trouble have you gotten into already?”

Kahli explained the situation to him, and Arlo laughed.

“Huss and Tuss? Doing what? Ha! That’s pretty clever of them.”

Kahli crossed her arms and raised a brow. “Hysterical.”

Arlo cleared his throat. “How much time did they give you? A week? I’ll be sure to show up that morning as well.”

“That’s it? You’re just gonna show up and tell ‘em to piss off? I could have done that.”

“They’re harmless,” Arlo assured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. No damsels in distress on my watch, hm?”

“Listen,” Kahli sneered. “I’m not a damsel.” She stuck her nose up at him and turned away. “Next time I see ‘em I’m punching their lights out.”

“You know, you really shouldn’t tell me that, because then I’d have to arrest ya.”

“Do it!” 

Arlo folded his arms over his chest and grinned as she stormed away.

She wasn’t exactly thrilled with his response, but then again, it was a relief that he wasn’t more concerned. Maybe they were harmless, but still, it was not the way she wanted to start her day. She wanted to hit something. Hard.

She stopped in front of the ruin in town. Guess she would be doing some mining after all. A perfect way to take out some of her frustration.

It was easy to lose track of time in the dark ruins. And to her surprise, she didn’t tire as quickly as she thought she would. It was getting late in the evening when she finally stepped out, her bag full of what she hoped would be enough copper and tin to start smelting the bars she would need to being work on the bridge.

She dropped her materials in the workshop and, feeling like she had a successful day, she turned in for the night, sleep taking over as soon as her head hit the pillow.

To her relief, Huss and Tuss did not make an appearance the next morning, and she was left to her own devices, puttering away in the workshop as she attempted to work the machines. Like the ruins, she lost track of time in the run down building, and by the timer her stomach reminded her to eat dinner, she had enough wood planks, copper pipes and bronze plates to being construction of the bridge.

The following morning, she began the process of lugging the materials down to the river. She dumped everything on the ground, and with her hands on her hips, she stared at the river. She had a general idea of how to being building the bridge, but as she looked at the space between the shores, the task seemed daunting.

She sighed. All she could do was just begin. And the most logical thing to start with was the legs of the bridge. Which would need to be placed in the water. How convenient. 

With a hammer and nails and a bag full of tools, she rolled up her pants and set to work. It took her the majority of the morning to get two of the four legs completed, and it was only after losing many nails in the sand and a lot of cursing. She banged her thumb so many times she thought it would be flattened by the end of the day. Still, she wasn’t about to give up. She had nothing else going for herself. The least she could do was prove she could build a damn bridge.

Then again, if she ended up a total failure, maybe she could convince Huss and Tuss to help her fake her own death so she could leave town forever.

She was finishing the second leg of the bridge when she heard the sound of trotting hooves coming near. She bit her lip, ignoring whoever was coming up the road, and focused on keeping the leg anchored down in the water. She squatted and leaned forward in an attempt to reach the piece she needed, but the sand slipped from underfoot, and with a shout, she fell into the river, completely submerged.

She cursed when she broke the surface and coughed out the water she accidentally swallowed in her surprise. She pushed her wet hair out of her face, and when she blinked the water out of her eyes, she met Arlo’s gaze, a grin plastered on his face.

“I know you’re not a damsel in distress,” he started. “But can I at least offer a hand?”

“I’m swimming,” Kahli said stubbornly.

“Fully clothed?”

“What? Were you expecting me to be naked?”

His cheeks reddened slightly. “Most people wear a bathing suit.”

“Well, I guess I’m not most people,” she muttered.

“No. I guess not.” He stretched out a hand, and Kahli begrudgingly took it, letting him pull her out of the water.

She groaned and looked down at herself. She pulled her hair into a pony tail and sighed. She sat on the ground, her arms folded across her chest.

“Are you… pouting?”

“No!”

Arlo sat beside her. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Kahli watched his horse graze, his tail swishing listlessly in the breeze.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Kahli finally said.

“Sure.”

“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

Arlo smiled. “You fooled me.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”

“You know,” he started. “No one expects you to solve the world’s problems or anything.”

Kahli sighed. “I can’t even build a damn bridge.”

“For someone who has never picked up a hammer in her life, I think you’re far exceeding anyone’s expectations.”

Kahli blew a wet strand of hair out of her face. “I’m not my father,” she said. “I think everyone assumes I am.”

“No one thinks that.”

“Good,” she said. “I’d never want to be compared to him.”

Arlo glanced at her, hesitant.

“Whatever,” she grumbled. She got to her feet and turned to stare at her work so far.

“Can I help?” Arlo asked, standing at her side.

Kahli scoffed. “Please. You go ride into the sunset and leave the tough work to the damsels.”

Arlo laughed. “Suit yourself,” he said, turning away from her.

“Wait.” Kahli hesitated. “My thumb really hurts.”

“I’m not a doctor.”

“Just,” she snapped, then sighed. “Can you please help me figure this shit out? I can’t hammer my thumb any more…”

Arlo smiled. “Alright,” he said. “But I want credit for this. I want my named carved into this thing and a plaque.”

“You can have a piece of pie.”

“Deal.”


	5. Chapter 5

It took the rest of the week for Kahli to finish the bridge to Amber Island, with some assistance from Arlo. But when all was said and done, she felt a sense of accomplishment as she admired her work.

When she returned home that evening, however, she found that Huss and Tuss had returned, waiting for her in front of the house just as they promised. Huss greeted her immediately as she approached them.

“How do you do, Kahli? Do you have the money to pay off your debts?”

Kahli crossed her arms. “I know who you are.”

Huss’s gaze narrowed on her. “Oh, you do, do you?” He cracked his knuckles threateningly. “You should know, I’m not afraid to hit a woman.”

Kahli grinned. “Neither am I.”

“You should be,” Arlo’s voice sneered. He trotted up on his horse, and Huss and Tuss immediately backed away. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble around here?”

“We’re not afraid of you,” Huss hissed.

Arlo slid off his horse, and without another word, the troublesome brothers squealed and took off running down the road.

Kahli turned to Arlo expectantly. “Aren’t ya gonna chase ‘em down, cowboy?”

“Cowboy?”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “You Civil Corps sure do a good job around here.”

“Did you really think you were going to fight them?”

“I may be worthless with a hammer, but I can throw a punch, you know.”

Arlo crossed his arms. “I’d like to see that.”

“Alright, tough guy,” Kahli taunted. She punched her fist into her palm. “Let’s go. I can kick your ass.”

Arlo laughed. “That’s adorable.”

“Afraid?”

“I don’t fight damsels in distress.”

Kahli scoffed. “That’s ‘cuz you’re afraid I’ll embarrass you.”

Arlo shook his head.

“What if I was a big baddie? If I attacked you? Brought a hammer up to your neck?” She made a slicing motion across her neck.

“I’d be more concerned for your thumb.”

Kahli narrowed her gaze on him and smiled. “Me too.”

Arlo laughed. “I’ll keep an eye on things, but please stay out of trouble, alright?”

“Is that why you’re in the Corps?” Kahli asked. “So you can creep on all the pretty ladies?”

Arlo smirked and got back on his horse. “Maybe,” he said, turning his horse around and trotting back into town.

Kahli blushed and turned away, but it didn’t matter; Arlo was already out of sight. She turned her attention back to her workshop; she already had another commission lined up. This one was from Dawa with a request to help fix a section of fencing at the tree farm. An easy job, far easier than her attempt to build the bridge. She figured it would only take a couple hours to do, so she opted to save the job for the next day, turning in for the night for some much needed rest.

In the morning, as she was puttering around in her workshop, a cheery faced peered around the door. When Kahli met the young woman’s gaze, she stopped and offered her visitor a smile in greeting.

“Hey, there,” she said. “Sorry to bother ya.” She stepped into the workshop. “I’m Sam. We haven’t officially met yet, but I’ve heard a lot about you already!”

Kahli raised a brow. “You have?”

“Sure,” she said cheerfully. “From Presley and Gale, and a lot from Arlo.”

“Arlo?”

“Yeah! He sent me to check in with you. Make sure you’re alright and all. Heard you tried to take on Huss and Tuss! You know, they may be idiots, but they’re not afraid to break some limbs to get what they want. Be careful who you try to fight around here.”

“Because I’m just a builder?”

“Fair enough. Guess I don’t know you that well yet. But still. It’s my job to protect people around here, yeah? I’m all for defending yourself, but just make sure you know what you’re getting into, first.” She put her hands on her hips proudly. “I could show ya a thing or two if you want!”

“I might take you up on that,” Kahli said.

“Alright! Hey, if you’re good enough, maybe we could get you into the Corps! I could use another female around here!”

“Tell Arlo I want you defending my honor next time.”

Sam winked at her. “Us women gotta stick together, right?” She saluted Kahli playfully. “Alright, everything looks good here. I’ll tell Arlo I found Huss and Tuss bleeding out at your feet. I’ll make it real exciting!” She laughed. “He probably won’t believe me for a second, but could you imagine his face? Ha! Alright, see ya around, Kahli!”

Sam waved to Kahli as she stepped out of the workshop, leaving Kahli alone, her lips twisted to the side as she pondered over Sam’s words. It seemed odd to think that Arlo was talking about her. Probably telling everyone how incapable she was as a builder. Her cheeks warmed in frustration at this thought, and she quickly turned back to work. At the very least, she could probably redeem herself by helping Dawa and Aadit at the tree farm.

It was nearing noon when Kahli found herself at the tree farm, patching the whole in the fence to the relief of Dawa and Aadit. But they weren’t about to let her leave without giving her another job.

“I don’t know why, but the panbats have been coming out of the swamp and into the farm since last month,” Dawa said. 

“We’ve tried everything already,” Aadit continued. “Fire, water, you name it, but they just won’t go away. The Civil Corps came by the other day and they’re just as clueless as we are.”

“They have been sucking nutrients and poisoning our trees. Look at them - the leaves are turning brown. Is there something you can do?”

“We tried talking to Higgins,” Addit added, “but he’s afraid of the panbats and won’t help us.”

Kahli smirked. “Of course he is,” she muttered. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”

She didn’t know much about panbats or how to get rid of them, so finding a solution would require someone more knowledgeable than her. She hadn’t formally introduced herself to Petra or Merlin yet, so now seemed as good a time as any. She was hopeful they may be able to help her come up with something.

As she walked to the research center, she watched the people around her. For the last week, she studied them quietly, getting to know their routines and how they interacted with one another. As an outsider, it was easy to see the relationships they shared with one another, and she couldn’t help her curiosity. She was sure, in time, she would get to know them all, but she enjoyed watching from afar.

On her walks through town, she had already gathered a few bits of information. From time to time, she would see Antoine watching Dr. Xu from afar. She had gotten familiar with Albert, stopping to chat with him a few times. It was almost unavoidable since his shop with Gust was right in the center of town. Gust hardly said two words to her, but Albert was always eager to speak with her, showering her with compliments when the opportunity presented itself. She wasn’t used to the attention, and she paid no mind to him in the beginning. But after leaving the ruins a few times, she saw him acting the same wa with Sonia and Phyllis, and it became clear to Kahli that he was just a flirt.

She often saw Sam, too, patrolling the town, and Sam was always eager to stop and say hello. And, to Kahli’s surprise, on one particularly late night, she caught a glimpse of Nora and Arlo together. They weren’t  _ doing _ anything, but it seemed odd for them to be hanging out as late as it was. And so far from prying eyes, too, at the edge of town. She couldn’t help but to wonder if there was something between them.

Despite her people watching, there were still a few people she had yet to meet, and Petra and Merlin were among those. She felt bad she was only getting to introduce herself now, but the bridge had completely occupied her first week in Portia. It was about time she get down to the research center, and when she entered, she looked around in awe. A dark skinned woman greeted her first with a smile, then spoke.

“You must be Kahli,” she said. “You’re a new face around here, so I just assumed. I’m Petra. Glad to see you made it our way.” Her head cocked to the side. “Or, are you only here because you need something?”

“People only visit us when they need something,” the older woman from the back of the room said over her shoulder.

Petra grinned. “That’s Merlin. What can we help ya with?”

Kahli frowned slightly, biting her lower lip. “Well, I just came to say hi.”

Petra laughed. “No you didn’t. But that’s okay, I know you’ve been busy. I saw the bridge you built to Amber Island. Nice work with that.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks. Just don’t walk over it.”

“Well, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”

Kahli shrugged. “To be fair, I never told anyone I knew what I was doing.”

“That’s reassuring,” Merlin remarked over her shoulder.

“Well, you’re trying,” Petra said. “Gotta give ya credit for that, hm?”

“I am,” Kahli said. “And now apparently I need to help fix the tree farm.”

Petra frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“They’ve got a panbat infestation,” Kahli explained. “Need something to get rid of them.”

Petra thought about this for a moment. “Hmm. I’m not sure.” She barked over her shoulder. “Director! Do you know anything that might stop a panbat?”

Merlin finally turned to face them, no longer burried in her work. “Of course my dear. Panbats are very sensitive to sound. If you make some sort of sound amplifier, you’ll be able to scare those poor things away in no time.”

Petra nodded in agreement. “I might have an old diagram lying around for something like that.” She turned to a table and flipped through some scattered pages before finally pulling one out and handing it to Kahli. “Here. This should help ya.”

Kahli thanked them, then returned home with the diagram. She spent the rest of the afternoon working on the device, and by evening, Emily had stopped at the fence on her way home. She leaned against it as Kahli emerged from her workshop and grinned.

“So, you and Arlo have been hanging around a lot,” she said.

Kahli wiped her hands on her pants, sensing where Emily was going already. “We have?”

“I see him checking up on you.”

“I think that’s called doing his job,” Kahli pointed out. “Sam checks on me too, yanno.”

But Emily chose to ignore her. “And hanging out at the bridge.”

“Helping me when I jammed my thumb,” Kahli corrected.

“You guys have this weird back and forth.”

“It’s called conversation.”

“You like him,” she sang. “You think he’s cute!”

“I think you need a punch in the face.”

“Arlo and Kahli, sitting in a tree -”

“Shut up!” Kahli quickly placed her hands over Emily’s mouth and Emily laughed.

“What’s the matter? Afraid someone will hear?”

“You spew lies,” Kahli hissed.

“Oh, come on.” Emily turned to put her back against the fence, then leaned backwards, looking at Kahli upside down. “What’s wrong with being attracted to someone?”

“I’m attracted to no one.”

“Liar.”

Kahli narrowed her gaze on Emily. “I’m not here to fuck around.”

“Why not?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m just doing my job as best friend.”

“Your job?”

“Getting you laid.”

“I don’t need to get laid.”

“When was the last time?”

Kahli hesitated. She glanced to the side, silently calculating.

“Exactly,” Emily said. She straightened and faced her. “There are some good looking men around here.”

“You know I’m the new girl,” Kahli reminded her. “I can’t exactly go on someone else’s turf.”

“Who’s turf?” She brightened. “What do you know?”

Kahli shrugged. “I don’t know anything. But I see things. I suspect things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I’ve seen Albert flirting with a different woman every day.”

“Everyone knows he’s a womanizer,” Emily confirmed with a nod.

“And I think Antoine’s got it bad for Dr. Xu.”

Emily nodded. “Yeah, I’ve always thought that, too.”

“What about Arlo and Nora?”

Emily paused in thought, then grinned. “Why do you wanna know?”

“I don’t,” Kahli hissed. “I’m just telling you what I’ve seen.”

Emily shook her head. “I don’t think they’re a thing.”

“No?”

“Maybe Nora likes him.” Emily shrugged. “I dunno.”

“You don’t think he likes her?”

Emily grinned. “You’re really digging.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So what?”

“Just admit it!”

“Oh my god, Emily,” Kahli said in falsetto. “He’s like, so freaking hot, I wanna have his babies!”

To Kahli’s dismay, the sound of trotting hooves silenced her quickly, and she and Emily turned to see Arlo, Remington, and Sam leaving the center of town.

“Ladies,” Sam said with a nod as they passed, and the three officers stopped for a moment.

“Sam,” Emily said in greeting. “Rem.” She met Arlo’s gaze and grinned. “Arlo.”

Silence fell between the five of them for a painfully long moment.

“Uh,” Sam started. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” Kahli said quickly.

“We’re talking about hot men,” Emily said.

“Oh!” Sam started. “My turn! Dr. Xu!”

“Oh, he’s so dreamy,” Arlo said. He rolled his eyes.

“What about me?” Remington said. “I’m dreamy, right?”

Emily grinned. “Rem, my man, you are by far the dreamiest of all the men in the Free Cities.”

“Aw, Em, I always knew we had something special.”

Emily turned to Kahli expectantly, and suddenly, all eyes were on her.

“I have a… hammer… to build… “

“Felt like flattening your other thumb?” Arlo said with a grin.

“Don’t you have a job to do or something?” Kahli sneered.

“Right,” Arlo said. “I’m a cowboy or something, apparently.”

Sam laughed loudly. “Yeah, alright, man. What’s a cowboy do? Rope some cattle?”

“That’s offensive to the cowboy community,” Emily laughed.

“Yeah, Sam, seriously,” Arlo played along.

“If the four of you don’t mind,” Kahli said. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Come on,” Arlo said, taking the reins in hand. “Guess we gotta go rope some cattle or something.” He winked at Kahli before leading his team away.

“You will regret this,” Kahli sneered at Emily. “When you least expect it. I will have my revenge.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Emily said, waving her off. “And when you two get married, I’m going to mention this moment in my maid of honor toast.” She backed away from the fence, keeping her gaze on Kahli and grinned. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” she sang.


	6. Chapter 6

The following morning, Kahli took the completed device back to Dawa and Aadit at the tree farm.

“Will this actually work?” Dawa asked skeptically as he looked over the device.

“I’m afraid of using relics,” Aadit said warily. “The church told us to use as little of them as possible. Bad things happen when they’re used.”

“You’re afraid of everything,” Dawa said with a roll of his eyes. “We have no other choice.” He turned to Kahli with a nod. “Go ahead and try it.”

Kahli shrugged and turned on the device. A loud sound was emitted from the speaker and the panbats reacted just as Merlin said they would. Frightened by the loud noise, they took off screeching, leaving the tree farm and heading back into the safety of the swamp.

“They actually left!” Dawa cheered. “I can’t believe it! We owe ya one!”

“I’m surprised,” Aadit mused. “Maybe I’ll order a couple more of those from you in the future.”

“We can’t celebrate yet,” Dawa said. “Now that the panbat issue has been resolved, we need to move quickly to heal our trees. The panbats took a lot of water and nutrients. We need a fast way of restoring them. Up for the job?”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” Kahli said. “Got any idea what you may need?”

“Petra mentioned she knew something about an irrigation system before. Maybe you two can come up with something.”

Petra was either going to be her best friend by the end of this, or annoyed at the mere sight of her. Kahli hoped their relationship would lean more toward friendship, but she was sure time would tell.

She made her way to the research center once more and explained the situation to Petra.

“Something to revive the trees?” she said. “The ancients used many elaborate irrigation systems. I read quite a bit about them. You’ll need a small engine, though. You should be able to find some in the ruins.”

And to the ruins she went. She was used to the back and forth, now, especially as she started to take on more work. Go here, do that, build this, get that part. It kept her busy, at the very least, and though it left her arms sore the next day, she was sure Arlo would be impress with the new muscle soon enough.

Not that she cared to impress him. She didn’t care if she impressed anyone, really. Still, as she worked tirelessly, and alone, in the ruins, she couldn’t help her wandering mind. Whether it was Arlo, or Emily’s incessant teasing on whether she liked him or not, or his relationship with Nora, whatever that was. She thought about the life that the people of Portia already had here, feeling like an intruder. And when her thoughts turned negative like that, they usually turned to her father. Where was he now? What was he doing? How did he feel about everything? About her? And why did he reach out to her, anyway?

She tried to push these thoughts aside especially. They were thoughts that occupied her mind far too often, late at night, or when she was working away in the workshop. It was all the same thoughts, the same unanswered questions, and it only made her grow more and more frustrated.

When she got to that point, she often shifted focus to the animals at the ranch. She had passed them a few times already; the horses, the cows, the sheep and the chickens. She decided she wanted to save up some money, build a barn and a coop and get a couple of each. A horse, at the very least, could help her with some of her larger projects, carrying them from place to place.

She had always had a soft spot for animals, though she was never privileged to have any of her own. Due to her aunt’s allergies, she couldn’t even have a dog to offer her companionship. And she would be damned it she couldn’t at least have a dog to keep her company in the workshop.

Kahli eventually got her hands on a small engine in an abandoned room in the ruins, and she retired wearily to her home for the evening.

In the morning, she went into town as she often did, sitting at the bar at the Round Table as Django opened up for the day. She had come to enjoy her morning routine: a couple cups of coffee with breakfast, listening to Django and Sonia chat and laugh as they readied the restaurant. They seemed the perfect team, always with smiles on their faces, and their presence always put Kahli in a good mood. She had never been much of a morning person, but their cheerful attitudes helped her adapt to her new lifestyle.

“So, how’s life as a builder treating you?” Sonia said, taking the seat next to her with a cup of coffee in her hands. She sipped it and rolled her eyes when Django made a comment about his lazy help.

“I lost count how many times I smashed my thumb, but so far, the bridge hasn’t collapsed, so I guess I’m doing something right.”

Sonia laughed. “Higgins giving you any trouble?”

Kahli shrugged. “Not really. He made a great first impression, but I haven’t really seen him since.”

“Count yourself lucky,” Django said as he walked behid the counter. “He’s brutal when it comes to business. Doesn’t make anything easy for anyone else trying to make a living around here.”

“Well,” Kahli started. “In his defense, I kind of did come onto his turf.”

“Nonsense,” Django said. “You’re not the only one to come to Portia seeking something better. Plenty of people here from other parts of the world. Mayor Gale makes sure to see to it that everyone feels welcome here.”

“You know,” Sonia said. “It gets pretty lively here at nights. You should come hang out and keep me company. Antoine and Emily usually do, but we could use a forth gal.” She grinned. “And to be honest, I’m getting tired of Antoine talking about Dr. Xu all the time.”

Kahli yawned. “I’m just getting used to mornings. Now I need to have a social life after I’ve been working all day?”

Django laughed. “Sonia, let the poor girl sleep. She’s not used to all this hard work.”

Kahli narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

Django raised his hands up in defense. “I only mean to defend you. You were never a builder before now. It’s hard work that not everyone would understand. I don’t blame ya for hurrying home to bed every night. I’m trying to give you an out, yanno.” He winked at her.

“Nights are more my style,” Kahli said. “I don’t expect to be working too hard today. I’ll come by for a couple of drinks.”

Sonia grinned. “Excellent! It will be fun, promise!”

*****

The irrigation system took Kahli most of the day, but it wasn’t physically demanding work. She welded a few pieces together here, connected a few parts together there, and with the engine in place, the system was ready to be set up at the tree farm. All things considered, that would be the most difficult part, requiring Kahli to set up the water wheel at the lake, then connect the pipes back to the farm where it would hook up with the sprinklers she placed. It would take at least another day’s work, but it could wait until tomorrow.

It was the first time Kahli found herself in town after dark, and Sonia was right. It seemed most of the town was at the restaurant, sharing in meals and laughter after a hard day’s work. As soon as Kahli entered, she found Emily and Antoine at the bar, and Emily eagerly waved her over to them.

“Look who made it,” Emily said. She slid down a seat to make room for Kahli between them. “And here I thought you would ditch us to go to bed like an old lady.”

“Honestly, I was starting to wonder if I dreamt you coming here,” Antoine said. “I haven’t seen you since Preseley brought you around.”

“Yeah,” Kahli started. “I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing so no one catches on that I’m a joke.”

“So far, the bridge is still standing,” Emily said.

“That deserves a drink!” Sonia quickly came through the crowd and around the bar. “What’ll it be, girl?”

“Whatever they’re having.”

“Are you planning on getting drunk?” Sonia said with a grin.

“Yes.”

“Aye!” Antoine and Emily both cheered.

Sonia slid a drink over to her and quickly dismissed herself to tend to other patrons.

“To a bridge that’s still standing!” Antoine said, holding his glass up, and the three of them toasted to Kahli’s success.

“I thought I heard your voice!” Sam pushed herself between Emily and Kahli, leaning against the bar. “Guess you have a social life after all!”

“Is that what people talk about around here?” Kahli muttered.

“Not much else to talk about,” Emily said.

“Well,” Antoine started.

“We’re not talking about Dr. Xu!” Emily barked at him.

“But,” Antoine whined.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said, rolling her eyes. “We all know he’s your eye candy. We need new gossip.”

“I’ve got one!” Emily motioned for them to move in closer, and Sam and Antoine leaned in, crowding Kahli.

“Kahli’s got someone she’s been eyeing,” Emily teased.

“Emily!” Kahli hissed, but Antoine and Sam both had their attention turned to her, oohing like teenage girls.

“Who?” Sam barked.

Kahli covered her face with her hands. “Why?” she moaned.

“Albert?” Antoine asked.

“Gust?” asked Sam.

“It’s not Dr. Xu, is it? Because I called dibs.”

Sam put her hand on her chin for a moment as she considered the other single men in Portia. “Who else is single?”

Emily giggled. “Someone you know pretty well.” She looked up as the door opened and a wide grin split her face. “Hey, Arlo.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Arlo?!”

Arlo stopped beside Sam. “What did I do this time?”

Sam spun around to meet Arlo’s gaze. “What? Oh! Uh…”

Arlo looked over her shoulder and offered a smile in greeting to Kahli, but when he saw her hands dragging down her face, he frowned. “What’s going on here?”

“We were discussing the huge crush I have on Dr. Xu,” Antoine said. “Got any advice?”

Arlo blinked at him. “Um. What?”

“Kahli was just telling me to just ask him out already.”

Arlo turned to Kahli who had a look of defeat on her face. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Antoine batted his eyelashes playfully at Arlo. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

“Okay then,” Arlo said slowly. “I’m going to go drink with Rem now.”

When he was gone, Kahli put her head down on the bar and sighed heavily. “Is this my life now?”

“Unfortunately,” Sonia said as she appeared behind the bar once more, a grin on her face. “You like Arlo?”

“I don’t like anyone,” Kahli muttered. “I said he was kinda cute one time!”

“She wants his babies,” Emily said as she drank.

Kahli brightened when she remembered she had her own drink, and she emptied it quickly. She pushed the empty glass to Sonia. “Keep ‘em coming.”

Sonia laughed. “Poor thing,” she said, and she refilled it quickly. “We get a little exceited around here.” She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze on Antoine, Emily, and Sam. “Kahli is our friend. I expect you three to keep your traps shut.”

Emily sighed and put her chin in her hand, her elbow on the counter. “Yeah, yeah,” she said. She winked at Kahli. “I may tease, but I would never spill the beans. That’s so high school.”

“You mean we’re not in high school?” Antoine said. “Because I know how Sonia gossips.” He narrowed his own gaze on her.

“Do not!” Sonia said, her voice raising defensively.

“Are we gossiping or working?” Django commented as he, too, stepped around the bar.

Sonia flashed him a grin and batted her eyelashes at him. “Just refilling drinks. Kahli’s gonna need ‘em.”

“What kind of drunk are ya, anyway?” Sam asked.

“Guess we’ll find out,” Kahli muttered. She drank quickly and placed her empty glass on the counter.

“Okay, but I’m not cleaning up if she pukes,” Antoine said.

“One of us has to be the responsible one,” Emily said.

“Aw, come on, why’s it gotta be me?” Sam whined.

Kahli burped. “You gotta defend my honor, remember?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Fine. But just this once! Next time, I’m getting drunk, too!”

“Shouldn’t there at least be one Corps officer sober in town tonight?” Django said.

“Are you letting those assholes drink?” Sam barked. “We agreed Arlo would be the sober one tonight!”

“Oh, relax,” Sonia said, waving a hand at Sam. “When has Arlo ever been drunk?”

“Alright,” Sam cheered. “Arlo can carry all our drunk asses home!”

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Sonia said as she carried a tray of drinks from around the bar.

“Maybe Kahli will jump his bones,” Emily said.

“Django,” Kahli groaned. “My glass is empty.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Django replied, saluting her. He filled her glass once more.

“And keep ‘em coming!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to pop in and say thank you to the comments and kudos so far! i didnt think this would really get any attention i have no idea what the mtap fandom is like and ive been stuck in a writing rut hence *ANOTHER* new fic woops. idk where i'm going with this but i have some ideas and theories i want to work in which is kinda why i started it so idk we'll see where it goes i guess lol. thanks for popping by and i hope ya stick around ^_^ <3


	7. Chapter 7

“And that… is how you build a bridge… apparently.” Kahli hiccuped.

“And it works?” Antoine asked. “You can… walk over it?”

“With a hundred people.”

Sam shook her head. “I wouldn’t trust that thing.”

Kahli hiccuped again. “Rude.”

“Has… people… been on it?” Emily asked. Her brows furrowed as she focused to string her words together.

Kahli shrugged. “I ‘unno. Pro’lly.”

“Have  _ you _ been on it?” Antoine asked.

Kahli giggled. “No, way.”

“Why not?” Sam asked.

“Well.” Kahli paused. “Don’t they say that? Don’t… use your own products… or something.”

“I do get sick of eggs all the time,” Emily said with a nod. “‘S’like that, right?”

“Yes. I think. Pro’lly.” She hiccuped.

Emily put her arm around Kahli. “I think. I think you did… a good job.”

Kahli blushed. “Aw, thanks, Em.”

“The goodest job.”

“You… that’s so nice.” Kahli leaned against her. “You’re so nice.”

“Me, too!” Sam said, and she wrapped her arms around them both. “Kahli is my best friend.”

“I want a hug, too!” Antoine pushed himself between them and patted Kahli on the head. No one moved, not even when Arlo spoke behind them.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Yes,” Sam sneered at him over her shoulder. “We’re having… a moment.”

“Kahli is our best friend,” Emily said. “She is doing her best.”

“Well, I hate to break up the love fest here,” Django said. “But can you finish it up somewhere else? I’d like to go home and go to bed.”

Sonia yawned loudly and leaned against the counter. She grinned and shook her head. “I thought you cut them off?”

“They were all just having such a nice time,” Django said. “Singing and toasting to nonsense.”

“And I thought you hired really bad entertainment,” Arlo commented.

“We’re free entertainment,” Antoine said. “You’re welcome.”

“Guys,” Kahli muttered from beneath their arms. “I can’t… breathe.”

They quickly parted and Kahli hiccuped. She swayed on her stool. “That was a trip.”

“Remington,” Django called. “Will you please help escort these lovely ladies home?”

“Never fear,” Remington said as he approached them. “Good ol’ Remi is here.”

“I’m not a lady,” Antoine sneered.

Sonia crossed her arms and raised a skeptical brow.

He rolled his eyes and giggled. “Girl. Shut up.”

Sonia waved them off. “C’mon, now, scram. Ya’ll got work in the morning.”

“Fuck,” Kahli whispered. “I have to… build an irrigation system.” She groaned loudly.

“Le’s go,” Emily said, getting to her feet and pulling Kahli up with her. “Buddy system, everyone. Me and Kahli and Sam and Antoine.” She straightened as best as she could and pointed to Arlo, then Remington. “Who’s gonna be our team captain?”

“Dibs on Rem!” Sam shouted. She clung to his arm and grinned up at him. “I love you, Remi.”

“Oh, I see how it is,” Arlo said.

“Arlo, you’re such a weirdo,” Sam said loudly. “Don’t worry I love you too!”

“Too late. The truth comes out.”

Sam scoffed. “Escort me home, good sir.” She pulled Remington’s arm, leading the group of them out the door.

Kahli and Emily hung on one another, stumbling as they stepped out into the cool night.

“And I love Kahli and Emily, too!” Sam shouted over her shoulder. “Good night, my lovely loving friends. Adieu!”

“Good luck, Arlo,” Remington called. “If you don’t return, I’ll be sure to say something nice at your funeral.”

Arlo rolled behind, then fell in a few paces behind the two giggling women, still hanging onto one another, singing loudly.

“You know,” Emily said. “The next bridge should be gold! With like, big, tall columns. And a big sign that says… that says…”

“Kahli was here.”

Emily laughed loudly.

“You know,” she continued. “I want… one of them. A lil’ baby chick. And duck. And a lil’ cow. And.” She hiccuped. “A horse. And. All the animals. The cute, lil’ fluffy animals.”

Emily slapped her arm excitedly. “We have those!”

“Hey, drunkies,” Arlo called.

They stopped walking and turned to face him. He was standing in front of Kahli’s house.

“You missed your stop.”

“We’re going swimming!” Emily called.

“I don’t think so.”

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” Kahli said loudly, though she intended it to be a whisper.

Emily scoffed. “It’s dark out. We can skinny dip!”

“I can hear you,” Arlo called.

“Don’t watch, weirdo!” Emily barked at him.

“Please go home,” Arlo begged in a defeated tone.

Kahli patted Emily on the head. “Next time.” She made her way back to Arlo, stopping in front of him and grinning up at him.

Arlo hesitated. “Can I help you?”

Kahli reached up and patted his head. “Thank you, good sir, for your guiding… guidance… to my home.”

“Uh. You’re welcome.”

Kahli hiccuped. “I… will not throw up.”

Arlo frowned. “Please don’t.”

Kahli shook her head. “I am going to bed!” she declared.

“Okay,” Arlo started. “But don’t sleep on your back, okay?” He crossed his arms. “Don’t need you choking to death.”

Kahli grinned. “Ha. Okay. Good job. Thank you.”

“C’mon, Arlo!” Emily called. “Stop flirting and take me home!” She giggled. “Oh, man, you’re taking us home.” She giggled even louder.

“Emily,” Kahli groaned. “You’re so weird!”

“I’m going to charge you for this, you know,” Arlo said.

Kahli let herself through the gate, pausing at the door. She pointed at Arlo, her brows knit together fiercely, then smiled. “Bye.”

Arlo blinked at her for a moment. “Bye.”

*****

The sun. It was too bright. Far too bright. Kahli groaned and rolled over in an attempt to shield her eyes, but instead, she rolled off the bed, falling to the floor with a hard thump. She groaned louder and stayed on the floor for a moment as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Her mind was groggy. She pushed herself up, swaying slightly for a moment, then trudged downstairs and into the kitchen to attempt to make herself a fresh pot of coffee.

She sat at the table with the mug in her hands, but she did not drink from it. She blinked at the empty wall in front of her, jumping when she heard a knock at the door. She took a moment to collect herself, then forced herself to stand and moved to the door. She opened it, cup still in hand, and blinked in the sunlight that streamed rudely in.

Arlo snorted. “Oh, hell.”

Kahli looked up, squinting in the light. She sneered at him. She held her narrowed gaze on him as she sipped from her coffee.

“Can I help you?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

Arlo’s lips pinched together in an attempt to hold in a laugh. “Nope.”

“Why are you here?” Kahli asked, her voice monotone.

“Uh.” He hesitated. “Just wanted to check to make sure you were still alive.”

“Unfortunately,” Kahli muttered.

“Are you sure? Because you look rather dead.”

Kahli lowered her mug and cleared her throat. “You have a death wish, do you? Eager for me to end your life? Shall I make it quick and easy, or slow and painful?”

“I would be more afraid if you weren’t a hung over mess.”

Kahli’s gaze hardened threateningly on him and Arlo took a step back.

“Okay,” he said, his hands up in defense. “You win.” He turned to leave, but Kahli’s voice stopped him.

“Wait.” She hesitated. “What, uh… how did I get home?”

“You don’t remember?”

Kahli shook her head. “I…” Her face paled. “Did we go swimming?”

Arlo laughed. “Almost. I stopped you.”

Kahli sighed and nodded. She froze for a moment more. “Uh. And… then I went home?”

Arlo nodded.

“Alone?”

Arlo stared at her. “To my knowledge.”

Her shoulders dropped. “Cool,” she muttered. “And Emily?”

“I brought her home.”

Kahli nodded. “Thanks.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“Seems like a waste of your talent,” Kahli said.

“You think I have talent?”

“I’m saying that’s not what the Civil Corps is for,” Kahli sneered.

Arlo grinned. “Oh, that reminds me. There’s a fee with my services, you know.”

Kahli frowned. “What? There is? How much?”

Arlo laughed. “Um.” He quieted and smiled. “Just kidding.”

“Get out,” Kahli grumbled. “Leave me to drink my coffee and die in peace.”

“Right,” Arlo started. “I’m sure you have a lot of work to do at the tree farm.”

Kahli nearly dropped her mug. She groaned loudly.

Arlo saluted her and grinned. “Good luck today, Kahli.”


	8. Chapter 8

It took a few hours, but after popping a few pills and falling back asleep, Kahli was feeling a little better by the late morning. She managed to pull herself together enough to trudge up to the tree farm, but to her surprise, someone had already set up the waterwheel. All that was left was to connect the water to the sprinkler system in the farm.

She stared at the set up by the lake for a moment until Dawa approached her.

“Looks like you’re almost done,” he said happily.

Kahli turned to him. “Who did this?”

Dawa raised a brow. “Uh. You did?”

Kahli shook her head.

Dawa shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “I’m just getting up here, now. I thought you were working on it all morning.”

Kahli turned back to the wheel, examining it. She couldn’t think of anyone who would have the ability to get this much work done. And it looked to be in working order. All she had to do was connect the engine and get it started. She decided not to question it and chalked it up to little builder fairies that decided to give her a break, and she spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the job. By the evening, the irrigation system was complete and the sprinklers gave the trees much needed water.

The following day, Kahli found herself a rare moment to herself. But instead of sniffing around the Commerce Guild for more work, she decided to take advantage of the day, making her way to the ranch to visit Emily for a change. She was chasing after some baby chicks when Kahli walked over, and she blew her hair out of her face in exasperation. She put her hands on her hips and grinned.

“Look who made it to our neck of the woods.”

“You look like you need a hand,” Kahli said.

Emily’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. Kinda. Gotta gather up these little guys and bring ‘em back into their coop.”

Kahli watched one of the chicks hop over to her, and she bent down and picked it up carefully.

“That was hard,” Kahli said with a smirk. She brought the chick up to her face and scratched it’s little head with her finger. It chirped loudly until she brought it back to the cage with its friends.

“Oh, sure, you make it look so easy,” Emily said. She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Chicken Lady, gimme a hand.”

With Kahli’s help, they had gathered the rest of the escaped chicks and brought them back to the coop where they pecked eagerly at the ground with the mother hens.

“And you thought you were getting a day off,” Emily said.

“Ah, I don’t mind,” Kahli said. “They’re pretty cute.”

“So, how was yesterday? Were you as sick as I was?” Emily laughed.

“I didn’t even remember coming home.”

Emily nudged her with her elbow. “Did you wake up with a certain someone in bed?”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Alright, alright,” Emily said. “I’m done with the Arlo bit. I’ll leave you alone. I think you got it bad enough the other night, anyway.”

“I think you should go back to Antoine and Dr. Xu.”

Emily nodded. “Oh, I’m sure we will.” To Kahli’s relief, she changed the subject. “So. You want a couple of chicks? I could spare a couple as payment for helping me, if you want.”

“I don’t know how to take care of chickens,” Kahli said.

“They’re easy,” Emily explained. “Throw ‘em some grain and make sure they have water. Wait for ‘em to pop out some eggs, and voila, breakfast!”

“Really?”

“Really, really,” Emily nodded. “And I’ll even help ya build a coop.”

Within the hour, there were a dozen chicks and six ducklings running around Kahli’s yard, and she and Emily were staring at a pile of wood, hammers in their hands.

“Have you built a coop before?” Kahli asked.

“Well, no,” Emily started. “But, I mean, come on, it’s just like, a box, right? How hard can it be? You built a damn bridge, I think you can handle a coop. It’s just gotta not fall apart.”

“Oh, of course,” Kahli rolled her eyes. “I thought we could just leave it as a pile of wood.”

“You’re lucky I like you,” Emily said. “Your snark level is at max today.”

Kahli grinned. “Alright,” she started. “We should start with the walls. Put a couple boards together like this, right?” She lined a few boards side by side. “And we can hold ‘em together with this longer board, like this.”

“Obviously,” Emily said. “You do a side and I’ll do a side.”

They set to work, each building a side, and when the sides were completed, they worked on the back piece. They fit the three sides together, then closed it in with a fourth wall with a square doorway. Emily fastened a ramp leading out of the doorway, and Kahli enclosed the coop area, giving the flock an outdoor space. By evening, the coop was complete and Kahli’s new flock was pecking happily at their grain.

Emily brushed her hands together as they admired their work.

“Well, whadda ya know,” she said. “Maybe I can be a builder, too!”

“You’d probably do better than me,” Kahli said.

“Okay, enough of the pity party. You’ve done a hell of a lot in the three weeks you’ve been here, so shut up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Emily grinned. “Good. Drinks?”

Kahli followed her into town where a crowd had gathered. It was Sunday night, and she had completely forgotten about the weekly meetings that Mayor Gale held in the plaza. He was just beginning to speak when they joined.

“We are aware of some thefts this week,” Gale said. “These actions will not be tolerated in our town! We will investigate this to the end and capture the perpetrator.”

“Must be Huss and Tuss again,” Martha said with a roll of her eyes.

“Those idiots never give up,” Higgins muttered, and the rest of the town broke out into murmurs of complaints.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible,” Mayor Gale assured them. “Arlo will be spearheading this investigation, so you folks can rest assured!”

“Great,” Kahli muttered. “And I don’t think my doors lock.”

“Good to know,” Emily said.

“Jokes on you. I have no possessions. I barely have a pillow.”

Emily laughed. “Maybe I should break in and leave you something, then.”

“Can it be a million gols?”

“Maybe two.”

The crowd dispersed, and to no surprise, most of them headed for the Round Table for the evening. Kahli and Emily joined them, sitting at the bar beside Antoine. Sonia was behind the counter and served them drinks as soon as they sat. Kahli looked around the room quickly.

“Ya boy’s not here,” Sonia said.

Kahli blushed and drank quickly. “I’m not - no - shut up.”

Sonia grinned and left them alone at the bar to tend to the other patrons.

“But Dr. Xu is,” Antoine said dreamily. He turned in his seat and drank, looking over his glass to where the town doctor sat.

“Stop being a creeper,” Emily said.

Antoine shrugged. “So I appreciate good looking men. Kahli and I both do.”

“Oh, so now you’re on the Arlo train, too?” Emily moaned.

“There’s no train,” Kahli muttered, but no one was listening.

“I know a good looking guy when I see one,” Antoine said with a shrug. “But the brave, rugged, adventurous thing isn’t my type. He’s all Kahli’s.”

“Guess I’m getting shitfaced again,” Kahli said to her drink.

“In my defense,” Emily started, “I didn’t bring it up. I was trying to give Antoine shit.”

Antoine offered Kahli an apologetic smile. “So, what fun projects they’ve got you working on?” Antoint said.

“Uh.” Kahli hesitated. “I built a chicken coop.”

“Yup,” Emily confirmed. “All by herself.”

“I heard you were able to help Dawa and Aadit a few times.”

Kahli nodded. “Yup.”

“Well, you’re exciting,” Antoine muttered.

Kahli sighed and swirled the liquid in her glass. “Aren’t I?” She blew her bangs out of her face. “I should have run off to be some adventurer or something, too.”

“Apparently it runs in the family,” Emily said.

“Why would you want to do that when you can be here drinking with us? An added bonus is that it’s much safer than the rest of the world. Some people like not dying.”

“Or they live for the thrill of the risk,” Emily said. She put her chin in her palm and sighed. “Seeing all kinds of crazy new things. Never knowing what the next day will be like.”

Kahli and Antoine blinked at her and she met their gaze.

“What?”

Kahli grinned and sipped from her drink. “Daydreaming of being an adventurer?”

“That’s new,” Antoine muttered.

“Eh.” Emily drank. “I dunno. Maybe. I guess I kinda wanted to live that life, you know, when I was younger. But Granny needed me here.”

“I did not know this about you,” Antoine said. “Maybe you should get with Arlo instead and you guys can go adventuring together.”

Emily scoffed. “Please. I can’t take Kahli’s man from her like that.”

“He’s not my man!” she barked loudly, then shrank in her seat and finished her drink. “You people don’t let things go, do you?”

Emily sighed. “I need to get laid.”

“You and me both,” Antoine muttered.

“Oh, hell,” Kahli said. “Me too.”


	9. Chapter 9

The morning fared far better for Kahli than the day before. She drank more slowly than she did before, not ending up nearly as drunk as she had, which made the morning far more bearable. So much so that she decided to make her way to the commerce guild to see what work she could pick up to occupy her time.

In the plaza, however, she was stopped by Mayor Gale.

“Just the person I was looking for,” he said.

“I get that a lot.”

Gale laughed. “Listen. I want to further develop Amber Island. That cave there used to lead to a ruin, but due to an accident, the entrance was closed. This was some forty years ago, now. Since then, there’s been various rumors of it being haunted, which is obvious nonsense. But! I think it's about time we used it in our favor. The Haunted Cave of Portia; got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Kahli shrugged. “I guess. I don’t really do haunted things.”

Gale laughed. “Nevertheless,” he continued. “There used to be a power generator in there somewhere. I was hoping I could commission you to fix it up and give it some juice. Arlo tells me we’ll need to install a battery. Do you think you can do that? Then I’ll get one of the Hulu brothers to get that place runnin’. This will make a fine tourist attraction! Just what we need to bring in some extra income.”

Well, she got her next commission, and it sounded easy enough. How hard could it possibly be to put a battery into a generator? And fortunately, she had a couple spare batteries lying around that she came across in the ruins. This would be her easiest job yet.

After stopping at the workshop to retrieve the battery, she made her way to Amber Island at a leisurely pace, enjoying the warmth of the approaching summer in the air. When she arrived at the bridge, she paused to examine it. It was still standing at least. She stepped carefully, first with one foot, then followed with the other. It held under her weight, and she bounced slightly. It seemed she did a decent enough job after all. She strolled confidently over the bridge and made her way to the cave. Just outside of the entrance, she found Liuwa.

“Hey, Liuwa,” Kahli said in greeting. “Mayor Gale send ya down here?”

Liuwa crossed his arms. “Yup. Surveying this place. Gonna set up a haunted cave here. Going in?”

Kahli nodded. “I’m fixing the generator.”

“Well, be careful,” he warned. “It’s still dangerous inside. Gotta get the Corps down here to clear it out. Some rats have made this place home over the last few years.”

“I think I can handle some rats,” Kahli said smugly, and she stepped into the cave.

It was damp, dark, and musty, but with a flashlight in hand, she navigated the winding path inside. It didn’t take long, however, before she encountered the first few rats inside the cave.

They were no mere rats. They were large; nearly as tall as she was, with red fur. They were far more humanoid than standard rats, and to her surprise, they wielded various swords and blades.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kahli muttered. Her voice echoed off the cavern walls, catching the attention of a group of bandirats, and they immediately lunged to attack her.

She jumped out of their way, but quickly found herself closed in by the five bandirats. With nothing more than her flashlight, she had no choice but try to make a desperate escape. There was no gap as they closed in around her, however, so instead, when they raised their weapons, she charged toward them, catching them off guard. She plowed her way through them, knocking them backwards, then turning quickly on her heels and letting her fist fly into the faces of the nearest rats as they sprang back to their feet.

She easily knocked two the ground with two swift punches, one after another, and using the butt of her flashlight to her advantage. But just as the first two went down, the other three charged at her. She ducked, dodging the first one’s attack, then swung her leg around her to trip the other two as they neared. When they fell to the ground, she sprang up to punch the first one she dodged, then swung her leg around to swiftly kick the two fallen bandirats as they tried to get back to their feet.

But their battle was not over. Her first two attackers had regained themselves, and they, too, lunged at Kahli. She dodged their initial attacks, narrowly missing one sword and grabbing the bandirat’s arm, pulling it forward. Its grip on the blade loosened and the sword dropped, clattering loudly against the ground. 

Kahli scooped it up quickly just as the second rat lunged at her, and the sword plunged into the creature’s gut, quickly ending its life. She yanked the sword out and turned on her heels, plunging the blade into the first rat, rendering it lifeless.

The remaining three bandirats had returned to their feet, and they lunged at her once more, either unaware that she now had a weapon to her advantage, or simply uncaring. Kahli swung the sword out and across, slicing through the three bandirats in succession, and they dropped to the ground, writhing as they bled out at her feet. 

Kahli stared at the five bandirat bodies as she caught her breath. She examined the blade in her hand, then shrugged. She wiped it against her pants, clearing the blood off of it, then continued on her way.

She encountered another group of bandirats, but with her new sword in hand, she delt with them quickly and easily, leaving their lifeless bodies on the ground. She didn’t know when the Civil Corps would make it to the cave, but she was sure they would not be expecting to find bandirat bodies scattered everywhere.  _ Ha, _ she thought to herself.  _ That’ll show Arlo. _

Her path finally ended, bringing her to the far end of the cave where a lifeless generator stood, just as Mayor Gale said. She worked to replace the battery and it hummed as it came back to life. But to her dismay, she was not alone in the open cavern. She heard hissing behind her, and she turned to see not only two more bandirats, but a larger bandirat with them.

The two smaller bandirats lunged at her first, but they were hardly any problem. She was used to this, now, and she quickly disposed of them as she had the others. The larger bandirat, however, proved to put up more of a fight. But he was far larger, even larger than she was, and she used this to her advantage, easily dodging his attacks and using his slower movements against him, running behind him and out of sight. She plunged her sword into one of his legs, but she failed to remember two other limbs; his arms. He twisted around in pain, his arm sweeping in one swift motion to knock her back. She flew several yards until she slammed against the cavern wall, then dropped to the floor.

It took a moment for her to regain herself, and when she did, the bandirat was standing before her once more. She threw herself to the side, nearly dodging his next attack, and just as quickly, she sprang to her feet and plunged her sword into his other leg.

With both legs wounded, his movements were severely slowed, and he dropped to his knees. He thrashed his arms wildly around him, however, in a desperate attempt to throw her against the cavern wall once more. Kahli moved quickly to dodge his flailing arms until she was behind him once more. She threw herself at him, plunging her blade into the bandirat’s back, and he shrieked and shook his body in an attempt to dislodge her.

Kahli yanked the sword out of his back, jumping down to the ground as the bandirat turned to thrash at her once more. Kahli thrust her sword up just as the bandirat came down on top of her, and the sword plunged into his chest.

His agonized screams gurgled and he was quickly silenced, his body growing limp and dropping to the ground on top of her. Kahli groaned and wiggled her way out from under him, yanking the sword with her and dislodging it from his chest. She leaned against her legs for a moment to catch her breath, then looked at the defeated bandirat at her feet.

“Take that, fucker!” she yelled at the lifeless body. She let the sword sit on her shoulder proudly. “Ain’t no one fucking with me!”

With nothing more to do in the cave, she opted to continue following the path through the cave. The cavern lightened as she neared what she assumed was an exit, daylight guiding her way, and she pocketed her flashlight. She blinked in the sunlight when she stepped outside, the rays warming her face, and she basked in her own glory for a moment until a voice brought her back to reality.

“Kahli.”

She looked at the three figures that stood before her; Arlo, Sam, and Remington. They stared at her, mouths gaping, and for a moment, she completely forgot that she was covered in blood… and rat fur.

“What the -” Remington muttered.

Arlo’s brows knit together. “What are you doing in there?”

“Fixing the generator,” Kahli said simply. She looked around, realizing then that she was just outside of town. “Er,” she hesitated. “The one on Amber Island.”

“The cave complex extended all the way to here?” Sam said.

“But why are you… covered in blood?” Arlo asked slowly.

“Oh, you know,” Kahli started. “Just took care of the banidrats for you.”

Sam crossed her arms and grinned. “Well, color me impressed.”

“I found a bunch of shit in there, too,” Kahli said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. “Looks like the stuff everyone’s missing.”

“So the bandirats were behind the thefts?” Remington asked. “I knew it! They’ve been crowding around town for a while now.”

“We were following some leads that brought us here,” Arlo said. “We were just about to head inside.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Are you hurt?”

“I might have a concussion,” Kahli said with a nod. “I’m feeling pretty good.”

Arlo frowned.

“You are so metal,” Sam laughed.

“This isn’t funny,” Arlo hissed at her.

“Look at her! She is literally wearing the blood of her enemies!”

“I found a cool sword,” Kahli said, stretching her arm out.

“You wish you were as cool as her, Arlo,” Sam said.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Arlo muttered. “Don’t go in without me. I’m taking her to Dr. Xu.” Arlo pulled at Kahli’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

Kahli let him lead her into town. She skipped to his side. “Do you like my sword?”

Arlo rolled his eyes. “Yeah. It’s great.”

“I got it off a dead bandirat.” Kahli snickered.

Arlo glanced at her. “You are odd.”

Kahli grinned. “Don’t hate me ‘cuz you ain’t me!”

“What exactly happened?”

“Big bandirat,” Kahli said. “Huge motherfucker. Threw me into a fucking wall.” She laughed. “I showed him.” She stepped in front of Arlo and reached up to poke his nose. “And I showed you!”

Arlo blinked at her. “You what?”

Kahli crossed her arms. “You said I couldn’t kick your ass,” she said. “But I bet I could.”

Arlo sighed and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around and pushing her forward. “Sure. Show me tomorrow.”

Kahli nodded. “Oh, I will so show you,” she said.

They stepped into the clinic and Dr. Xu looked up at them. He smiled in greeting, but it quickly disappeared when his eyes fell on Kahli.

“What the - what happened to her?”

“I dunno,” Arlo said. “I think she has a concussion.”

Kahli held her sword out. “I killed a rat.”

Dr. Xu sighed. “You’re not recruiting this poor girl, are you?”

“I swear I had nothing to do with this,” Arlo said.

Dr. Xu pulled Kahli over and sat her on a bed. He clicked on a flashlight and shined it in her eyes, and Kahli whined. Dr. Xu straightened and waved a hand at Arlo, dismissing him.

“She’ll be fine,” he reassured him. “I’ll keep her here for the day and keep an eye on her.”

Arlo hesitated. “Are you sure? Maybe you should -”

“Arlo,” Dr. Xu said in an exasperated tone, but he smiled. “I got this. She’s fine.”

“It’s okay,” Kahli said. “He’s just mad because I did his job for him.”

Dr. Xu laughed loudly. “Well, just don’t go joining his crazy team, alright?”

Kahli nodded, then giggled. “I wouldn’t want to embarrass him like that.”

Arlo sighed. “Right. She’s fine. Bye.”

Kahli waved to him as he left the clinic. “See ya later, alligator!”


	10. Chapter 10

“I guess I should have asked the Civil Corps to check out the cave first.” Mayor Gale frowned.

Kahli’s gaze narrowed on him. “I want hazard pay.”

Gale grinned. “Yes, of course, I suppose it’s the least we can do. Gotta hand it to ya, though, you really took care of things down there. I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

It was late, nearing midnight, and Kahli had just gotten Dr. Xu’s approval to return home, but not without answering all of Gale’s questions, first. She thanked Dr. Xu, then let herself out of the clinic. The night air was warm and humid, and to her surprise, the town was relatively quiet. No loud laughter came from the Round Table, and everyone seemed to be in their homes for the night. She was more or less alone. But not for long.

“How ya feeling?”

Kahli looked up, surprised to see Arlo watching her. She wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but she was too tired to care. She kept walking down toward the plaza, and Arlo fell in step beside her.

“Like I was slammed against a damn wall,” Kahli muttered. “Do you think blood stains are easy enough to remove from clothes?” She held an arm up, the sleeve covered in dried blood.

“I may know a few secrets for that,” Arlo said.

Kahli sighed and blew her hair out of her face.

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“Hm?”

“Took on a hoard of bandirats.”

Kahli glanced at him and smirked. “Impressed?”

“A little bit. But you should know.” He paused. “You did say you were going to try to kick my ass tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Her lips pursed. “I’m kinda thinking of taking the day off. You know, to rest and recuperate from my battle with the rat king.”

“Phew,” Arlo said. “I was worried.”

“Oh, keep worrying,” Kahli said. “Your ass kicking is coming. Just not tomorrow.”

Arlo smiled. “Well. I’ll sleep with one eye opened, then.”

“That would be wise,” Kahli said with a nod. “Never know when I might strike.”

“If you ever get tired of being a builder, you’d make a good Civil Corps officer, I think.” 

Kahli glanced at him. “I bet the Flying Pigs will be begging me to join them.”

“You keeping that sword?”

They paused in the plaza. Kahli held the blade out before her, then swung it around her. She tried to spin it, but failed miserably, and it dropped. She reached out to try to catch it, but instead, tripped on her own two feet. Arlo caught her before she could fall on top of the sword, pulling her into him. They froze for a moment, then Kahli quickly pulled away. She cleared her throat, scratched her head, and turned away to hide her blushing cheeks. She picked up the sword and turned it over, as if inspecting it.

“Maybe you shouldn’t play with deadly weapons,” Arlo said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t play with deadly weapons,” Kahli mocked.

Arlo crossed his arms. “That’s mature.”

“That’s mature.”

“Are you done?”

“Are you done?” When he didn’t respond, she glanced at him, then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m a child.”

“Clearly.”

She let the sword rest against her shoulder and marched away from him. “I guess someone’ll just have to teach me how to use it,” she said.

Arlo watched as she disappeared around the corner. When he turned, he was met by Emily and Sonia, grinning ear to ear.

“Arlo,” Sonia said in greeting. “Whatcha doing? Saving damsels?”

“No,” he muttered, then turned away abruptly.

They giggled, and Emily hurried to catch up with Kahli.

“So,” she started. “What did you do all day?”

“Got my ass handed to me by a bunch of rats,” Kahli muttered.

“Word on the street is you’re the one that did some ass kicking,” Emily said. “But you know that’s not what I want to know.”

“My brain has been jostled around,” Kahli sighed. “No guessing games, please.”

“Are you just going to pretend that didn’t happen?”

“What didn’t happen?”

“C’mon, Kahli, Sonia and I saw it all.”

“So I embarrassed myself with a sword.” She rolled her eyes.

“If there weren’t clothes between you both -”

“Oh my god,” Kahli muttered. “Shut up.”

“He likes you,” Emily sang.

“Why the hell would you think that?”

“Because that was the most tragically awkward thing I have ever witnessed.”

“It could have happened to anyone.”

“So why were you both so blushy and weird?”

They stopped in front of her house. Kahli turned to her. “He was blushy and weird?”

“What do you care?” Emily grinned.

“I don’t!” Kahli snapped.

Emily laughed. “That’s the most action you’ve gotten in years.”

“Shut up!”

“I can’t wait until the day where I can say I told you so.”

“You’ll die waiting.”

Emily started walking backwards, smirking. “I don’t think so.”

*****

Kahli debated leaving her house the next morning, fearing that she may run into Arlo. She wasn’t sure if what Emily said was true, or how awkward things may be between them. Maybe she was way overthinking it all. Maybe he didn’t think twice about what had happened. That was the more likely scenario; he was just a guy stopping a stupid, idiot girl from killing herself with her own sword. There was nothing more to it than that.

But she couldn’t hide away in her house, either. Without a distraction, she would surely go crazy trying to analyze every moment between them. So she decided the best thing to do was busy herself in her workshop. A quick trip to the commerce guild may provide the distraction she needed; she just needed to get in and out of town before seeing anyone she didn’t want to see.

She made it to the commerce building with no issues, and Presley greeted her enthusiastically. 

“The mayor has secured the funding to make five dee-dee transports,” he said. “This will be a big task; are you up for working on one?”

Transportation seemed a daunting project. Building bridges and fences, while challenging, at least didn’t require anything more than wood and tools. Vehicles, however, were an entirely different story. They required engines, and wiring, and gas and oil to make everything run. She knew her father had some detailed notes about these things in his notebooks, but still, she hesitated.

“Give it a try,” Presley said, sensing her hesitation. “It’ll be good to learn something new, hm? I’m sure the gals at the research center could help ya out.” And with that, he left Kahli alone.

“Psst.”

Kahli glanced over at Antoine, who was grinning just as Emily and Sonia were the night before, and she sighed. She approached him slowly, and Antoine leaned against the desk.

“How was your night last night?” he said.

“I spent it alone,” Kahli hissed at him.

“If Dr. Xu ever held me like that -”

“There was no holding!” Kahli barked.

Presley looked up from his desk, catching Kahli’s gaze with curiosity, and she slid down in front of Antoine’s desk in an attempt to hide herself. She poked her nose over and glared at him.

“I swear to god, Antoine -”

Antoine leaned over and grinned down at her. “Don’t make that dee-dee blow up or anything, kay?”

Kahli returned to her feet and snarled at him. Then, without another word, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the building.

She couldn’t return home right away, however; she was sure she would need Petra’s help if she - as Antoine so gently put it - didn’t want the dee-dee to blow up.

Petra didn’t have much information that she didn’t already know, however. The vehicles would require more of the small engines buried in the ruins around Portia. Petra did, however, offer some helpful advice.

“There are still some of those ancient robots roaming around in the ruins,” she explained. “They’re dangerous and they will attack, so you’ll need to be careful.”

Of course there would be more things that wanted to kill her. It seemed if she wanted to have any luck building the dee-dees, she would need to improve her fighting skills. And that wasn’t a task she was quite ready for, since it would require talking to Arlo.

Or Sam. She could talk to Sam. Sam did offer to teach her a thing or two, after all. And she had heard a few times that Sam was equally as skilled as Arlo - if not better. Arlo probably would never admit it, but she got the sense that it was probably true.

To her relief, Sam was in town on patrol when Kahli left the research center, and Sam greeted her excitedly when Kahli approached.

“There she is!” Sam said. “The Bandirat Killer! The Hero of Portia! I am not worthy!” She bowed dramatically.

“Are you done?”

Sam laughed. “To what do I owe this honor, oh Great One?”

Kahli hesitated. “I, uh, maybe have a favor to ask of you?”

Sam raised a curious brow. “Oh?”

“I’ve gotta go find some engines in some ruins for Gale,” Kahli started. “Petra said they’re full of nasty robots.”

Sam nodded. “Yup.”

“I was wondering… you know, after my adventure with the bandirats and all… if you could, maybe…”

Sam grinned. “You wanna learn how to not kill yourself with a sword?”

Kahli blushed. “How’d you know?” Had Sam seen the awkwardness unfold, too? Her stomach twisted; would she be the talk of the whole town?

Sam shrugged. “Well, you’re not exactly a trained fighter, right? You just picked that thing up off a dead rat and nearly got yourself killed.”

Relief washed over her. Kahli cleared her throat. “Right. Exactly. That’s exactly it. I am ill prepared for this. Please help me, Great One.”

Sam laughed. “You are wise to come to me for this,” she said. “No one is better than I. I’ll make a fighter outta ya. I’ll make you so good, you could kick even Arlo’s ass!”

Kahli smiled. “That’s all I could ever hope for,” she said.


	11. Chapter 11

To Kahli’s relief, Sam was the only one in the Civil Corps building that evening. Sam looked up excitedly when Kahli entered, and she jumped to her feet, punching a fist into her palm.

“Alright!” she exclaimed. “Let’s kick some ass, shall we?”

Kahli saluted her playfully. “I’m ready. Show me your moves.”

“First thing’s first,” Sam started. “If you wanna be a good fighter, ya gotta learn all about the proper stance. It’s all about balance. You stay in balance, and you already have an edge.” As she spoke, Sam demonstrated, standing with her feet apart, knees bent, and her fists up. She hopped to the left, then to the right, and back and forth. “You can dodge and move all around your enemies without losing a beat! Once you perfect that, I’ll teach you how to throw a couple of good punches. We’ll work in a few kicks, and then get into some real sparring.” She threw a few punches out before her, then kicked her leg around, returning back into her proper stance.

Kahli frowned. “I thought we were gonna play with swords.”

Sam grinned and straightened. “We’ll get there. You gotta learn the basics first.” She pulled her gaze away and hesitated. “And admittedly, I’m not exactly the best swordsman. Don’t get me wrong, I can do what I need to do, but it’s not exactly my forte.” She spoke quickly to reassure Kahli, brightening slightly. “But, ask anyone! Ya gotta know the basics first. And Django is pretty good with a sword. Once you graduate from my lessons, you can get him to show you how to use a sword.”

“Alright,” Kahli said. “I trust ya.”

Sam smiled. “Good. With both of our skills, we’ll make you the best damn fighter Portia has ever seen! You’ll be a Civil Corps officer in no time!”

“Let’s see if I can survive these robots, first,” Kahli said.

Kahli spent the following weeks training with Sam. Spring warmed into summer, and Kahli already noticed herself getting stronger and more agile. And when she wasn’t training with sam, she was gathering materials in the mines and exploring Portia. She began work on the dee-dee transports, and with Emily’s help, she even began construction on a barn, eager to fill her property with cows and sheep - and someday - a horse.

She mostly admired the horses from afar, occasionally coming to the paddock fence to offer them handfuls of grass or apples and carrots. One horse in particular caught her eye; a white mare that often came to her when she sat on the fence to offer her treats.

When the barn was finally ready, she made her way to MaDonald’s to arrange the purchase of two cows and five sheep. She was counting out the gols she had saved as McDonald chatted on about the quality milk his cows produced.

“I’ve noticed you eyeing the horses, too,” he said to Kahli. He grinned at her when she handed him her money. “Ever ridden before?”

Kahli shook her head. “I’ve always wanted to learn. But there weren’t exactly a lot of horses in Barnarock.”

McDonald nodded. “Tell ya what,” he said. “I’ve got a busted barn out there that needs fixing. If you can give me a hand, I’ll give you lessons. And maybe I’ll give ya the friends and family discount on Star over there.”

Kahli looked over her shoulder to the white mare he pointed to.

“She’s a fast one, though,” he warned her. “But I see you’ve both taken to one another. I think I could part with her if she goes to you.”

Kahli met his gaze and smiled. “You got yourself a deal.”

After bringing the two cows back to their new home - and going back for the five sheep - Kahli set to work, spending the rest of the day fixing the barn for McDonald. By the evening, she had finished, and she stepped back to admire her work.

“You don’t mess around,” McDonald said as he approached her. He looked over the barn and nodded in approval. “Well, then, a deal’s a deal, hm? I’m sure you’re pretty busy these days, but I’ll l give you lessons whenever you’d like.”

She did have a pretty full schedule. She had just finished her training with Sam, which she did three nights a week, and she would be training with Django. She spent most of those days working on commissions, and the days in between gathering materials and crafting in the workshop. But she was eager to keep busy. For the first time since she arrived, she didn’t think about her father. She didn’t think about her feelings of abandonment or hopelessness. She didn’t doubt her worth as a builder any longer. For the first time in a long time, she was starting to feel like she had found a purpose. She wasn’t just some girl with nothing in her life. She had friends, she had a social life, and things were starting to feel right in the world.

“I think I can manage two days a week,” Kahli said.

McDonald laughed. “Ambitious. Alright, Kahli; I think I can make that work. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for your first lesson, then.”

Her first lesson with Django was that afternoon, and Kahli met him just outside of the plaza.

“Sam tells me you’re a natural,” Django said. He handed her a wooden practice sword. “She filled me in on what she’s been teaching you. I’d say you’re off to a good start. Itching to be a part of the Civil Corps?”

“Just trying not to get my ass kicked by more bandirats,” Kahli said.

Django laughed. “Well, that’s a good goal to have, too. Never know where they might show up, especially if you’re gonna be ruin diving like you have been. Those places are filled with all kinds of nasties. Good to be prepared. Show me what you know so far.”

Kahli was feeling confident in her skills, but she should have known better than to think she would be able to break through Django’s defenses. It didn’t take long before he had kicked her legs out from under her and she lay groaning on the ground. Django looked over her and grinned.

“Never underestimate your opponent,” he said. He reached an arm out and helped Kahli to her feet, and she dusted herself off.

“But Sam wasn’t wrong,” Django continued. “You’ve got a solid basis under your belt. Throwing a sword into the mix will be a challenge, but I think you’re up for it. Shall we?”

Django showed her how to hold the sword, how to balance with the sword in her hands, and how to swing it around her and at her opponents. She wouldn’t learn it all in a day, but she was eager to practice and learn everything she could. For once, she had something to be proud of, and she wanted to chase that high.

*****

“And then I punched those damn rats! It was totally insane! You missed out, Arlo!”

“You didn’t miss anything,” Remington said.

“You’ve dealt with bandirats before,” Arlo said over his shoulder to Sam.

“Yeah, but these guys weren’t like the others,” Sam said. She patted her horse’s neck as they rode along the coast. “In fact, I’m quite sure they’re similar to the bunch Kahli ran into a while back.”

Arlo glanced over his shoulder. “She’s not trying to take on more of them, is she?”

Sam grinned and waved a hand at him. “Please,” she started. “Those things don’t stand a chance against her. I may have been showing her a thing or two. She’s gotta learn to fend for herself, yanno.”

Arlo sneered at Sam. “You’ve been what?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Come on, man, don’t be such a nerd. What’s wrong with teaching her to defend herself?”

“It encourages reckless behavior,” Arlo said.

“Right. Because she’s totally reckless.”

“Little bit.”

“She didn’t exactly expect to run into those bandirats,” Sam pointed out. “Besides. Who knows what else she might run into.”

“Nothing unless she goes somewhere she doesn’t belong.”

“Stop being so lame,” Sam said. “Believe it or not, she’s not helpless.” She brightened and stood in her stirrups. “Look. See? What I tell ya! Even Django is helping!”

Arlo followed Sam’s gaze, just barely making out Django and Kahli on top of the hill, swords in hand. They were sparring, and to his surprise, Kahli seemed to be holding her own against Django.

“Are you coming?” Sam called to him

He hadn’t even realized his horse had stopped. Sam and Remington were ahead of him, and they were stopped, watching him expectantly. Arlo kicked his horse forward, catching up to them.

Sam grinned. “Impressed, hm? Afraid she’ll show you up?”

“No,” Arlo said simply. In fact, it only worried him. Bandirats were moving in closer to town. Old robots were coming to life in the ruins. Something wasn’t right; the last few weeks proved that. Their patrols had nearly doubled and they had to fight off more hoards of monsters than usual. The last thing he needed was to have more work for himself. What other trouble could she possibly get into?

*****

The next morning, Kahli found herself at McDonald’s farm. McDonald stood beside a chestnut gelding, and he smiled at Kahli as she approached.

“Ready for your first lesson?” he asked.

“Galloping off into the sunset?” Kahli said with a grin, and McDonald laughed.

“Heavens, no,” he said. “You won’t be doing any galloping until you learn how to saddle the damn thing, first.” He picked up the saddle from the paddock fence and demonstrated to Kahli how to tack the horse.

“You put this blanket on first so the saddle doesn’t give the horse sores. Then you place the saddle like so. Right here, see? The horn goes right at the withers. And the girth comes around here, right behind the legs. You might have to cinch it a couple times to make sure the saddle is secure, otherwise ya gonna fall right under ‘im!”

Kahli watched closely, and when McDonald took it all off to let her try, she did exactly as he told her. When the saddle was secured, McDonald moved to show her how to bridle the horse, and once more, Kahli copied his instructions, taking the bridle off and putting it back onto the horse.

When the horse was tacked up, Kahli mounted the horse, listening and watching as McDonald instructed how to get the horse to move.

“A light tap with your heels here will tell the horse to move forward. You hold the reins in this hand. Yes, just like that. And you move your hand over here to tell the horse to go left, and here to go right. See how the rein touches the horse’s neck? That’s what it responds to.”

Kahli did as she was told, and when she moved the reins, the horse stepped to the left, then to the right. When she tapped with her heels, the horse started to walk forward and a lazy pace.

“Good,” McDonald said. “Now, test your brakes. To get ‘im to stop, you gotta pull back slightly on the reins. Not too hard, now. Good. And release. Always release when you get what you’ve asked for. If you keep pulling back, the horse will back up. Yes, just like that. Careful you don’t keep hitting him with your heels; that tells him to go faster. The key is to have steady hands and steady legs. Signal with your heels only when you want to go faster. Now sit up straight. Shoulders back and look ahead. There ya go.”

Kahli walked the horse around the paddock for a while, turning this way and that, stopping and backing up, quickly getting used to the horse’s movements. She listened when McDonald corrected her posture, straightening in the saddle and making sure to keep her hands steady and her feet from kicking the horse’s sides.

The lessons went on like this for the first couple weeks as she learned to keep her balance in the saddle, and soon, she was trotting circles around the paddock, and then cantering. And when McDonald felt confident in her abilities, he introduced her to Star.

“Really get to know each other first,” he said. “See if you’re a good match in the saddle, too. If you can handle her - she is a bit of a spitfire - I’ll let you buy her.”

Anxious to make the horse her own, Kahli spent as much time as she could at the barn, grooming and feeding Star, then riding around the farm. As sweet as she was on the ground, McDonald was right; she had a mind of her own once Kahli sat in the saddle. And though the horse couldn’t speak to her, Kahli swore she could tell just what the mare was thinking when her ears pinned back and she lurched forward, clearly testing the new rider on her back.

But Kahli found herself enjoying the mare’s spunky personality, and it wasn’t long before the two came to an understanding. Star had become familiar with Kahli as her rider, and though she still didn’t hesitate to give her opinion, she learned to trust in Kahli, becoming more responsive to her rider, and soon, they were bonded to one another.

Kahli had to take on extra commissions, working twice as hard as she had done over the spring, but on a particularly hot, summer day, Kahli found herself counting out her gols to McDonald, finalizing her purchase of Star.

McDonald smiled up at Kahli. “I think you two are a good match,” he said. “I’m glad I didn’t ship her off to someone else. Seems like you were made for one another, hm? She’ll take good care of ya, I know it.”


	12. Chapter 12

Completing the dee-dee took longer than Kahli would have liked, but she wanted to make sure she was prepared before entering the ruins. But after her training with Sam and Django, the robots in the ruins were nothing more than an annoyance. In fact, she still felt that the bandirats put up more of a fight, but she thought nothing more of it. She had come in for one thing, and one thing only; an engine for the dee-dee transport. And with her hands finally on it, she would be able to finally complete the dee-dee for Mayor Gale.

By now, she had more experience with the engines. She was familiar with how they worked and all their parts. She installed the engine with ease, adding oil and gas to power it, and the engine roared to life when she turned it on. 

Mayor Gale was equally satisfied with her work, and as usual, her time and efforts were compensated for. She was really in a routine, now. She had a nearly fully functioning workshop, and when that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, the animals were. Her mornings were often spent feeding, then mucking the barn and coop before she lost herself in her workshop for the afternoon. And more often than not, she spent her evenings at the Round Table with Emily, Antoine, Sonia, and Sam. And somewhere in between, she found time to exercise Star, exploring the rolling hills of Portia on horseback. 

She made her way into town one morning, eager to see what work she could find for herself, with an unusual scent filled her nose. As soon as she stepped into the plaza, it became clear what the stench was. The fountain in the middle had turned green with pollution, and it caught the attention of several others as well.

“What is going on here?” Mayor Gale asked as he stepped out of the town hall.

“It’s been polluted,” Merlin said in an obvious tone.

“How?”

“I just checked the river,” Sam said. “It’s like this, too.”

“Well, did you find the source?” Merlin asked.

“I tried,” Sam started, “but it’s coming from above the Bassanio Falls and the lift’s been broken for ages.”

Mayor Gale turned to Arlo. “Find out what’s going on,” he said. “The Portia River is our water source. I don’t want our people getting sick from whatever this is.”

“Fix the lift,” Arlo said. “Got it.” He turned to Kahli. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a job.”

“Kahli to the rescue, as always,” she said with a grin.

“I’ll look into getting rid of this in the meantime,” Merlin said.

The crowd dispersed, and Kahli headed immediately to the lift. Fortunately, after a quick examination, Kahli determined it would be a relatively easy fix, needing nothing more than to have a few boards replaced. She returned home to gather the necessary materials and tools, then set to work fixing the lift, completing it by the afternoon. With the lift fixed, the Civil Corps was able to find the source of the pollution.

Kahli stood with Emily outside of the Round Table, just ready to step inside for a couple of drinks when the Civil Corps returned from their search.

“Any luck?” Kahli asked.

“It seems the pollution is coming from a broken pipe inside the WOW Industries building, just above the Bassanio Falls,” Remington said.

“I suspect foul play was involved,” Arlo said.

“Do you think you can fix it?” Sam asked. “That should be enough to stop any more of that green goo from polluting the river.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Kahli said.

By morning, Kahli made her way to the WOW Industries building, finding Sam already inside. The building was mostly in ruins, a gaping hole in the center of the room, but most of the pipes - with the exception of the broken pipe - were still in tact and in use.

“Here to fix the pipe?” she asked.

“Yup. What are you doing here?”

“Investigating,” she said. “We think someone intentionally broke the pipe. You can see handprints on it.” She stepped aside to show Kahli. “I can’t imagine who would do this, though.”

“Huss and Tuss?” Kahli offered.

Sam’s lips twisted to the side. “Maybe,” she started slowly. “But they always have a motive, no matter how stupid it turns out to be.”

Kahli got on her knees and inspected the pipe. It was easy enough to fix, requiring only a few pieces to be welded onto the pipe, and after a few minutes, she had the hole patched and secured. She got to her feet and admired her work for a moment, but a rumbling sound came from the pipe above them. They looked up just as sewage burst out of the pipe, knocking them both backwards and into the hole in the floor behind them.

They landed on the ground hard, likely only dropping one story, but still, the wind was knocked out of Kahli’s lungs upon impact. They took a moment to catch their breaths, then got to their feet, looking around at their surroundings.

“What the hell?” Kahli said. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said slowly. “No one’s been in this ruin before. Looks like it might be part of the sewage system.” She hesitated. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

As if to confirm her gut feeling, the distinct, angry squeaks of bandirats echoed off the walls.

“Well,” Sam started. “Looks like you’re gonna be putting all that training to use.” She grinned at Kahli. “Shall we?”

Kahli followed Sam through the tunnels until they came across the first hoard of backrats and redrats. Slightly more advanced than the bandirats Kahli was used to, they came at them quickly and violently. But with Sam at her side, they took them out easily, pressing forward until they encountered another hoard.

It took a while for them to navigate the tunnels of the sewage system, many of the passages ending in dead ends or with closed gates which forced them to backtrack to find another way around. But finally, and after several more hordes of rats, they reached a large, open room. Eight more of the rats stood in the center of the room, and among them, a much larger rat.

“Great,” Kahli muttered. “Can’t catch a break.”

“Art thou the one that ended my son?” the giant rat’s voice boomed.

“It talks?” Sam said in surprise.

“Are you behind the goo in the water?” Kahli asked.

“Oh, ye doth amaze me to figure that out! ‘Tis true! Now prepare thyself.”

At that moment, three of the rats lunged at them. Sam stepped forward in an attempt to stop them, but they were far stronger, and they pushed her violently backwards, separating her from Kahli.

Kahli didn’t have a chance to check on Sam, however, as the remaining five rats had lunged toward her as well. She quickly drew her sword and used it to block the attack from the first rat. She pushed violently against the creature, throwing it to the side and swinging the blade across as the next two rats closed in. They both stumbled back, allowing the final two to jump forward, and with another swing of her blade, they stumbled back as well.

With them temporarily cleared from, Kahli had a moment to switch to the offensive, and she immediately turned her attention back to the first rat as it returned to its feet. It lunged at her, and she jabbed her blade forward, quickly ending its life. One down, four remaining.

She yanked the sword out as two more lunged toward her, one right after another, and she brought her blade across each one in two quick swipes in succession. They fell to the ground, severely wounded, but they had not quite lost their fight yet. Still, their hesitation to regain themselves gave Kahli another golden opportunity, spinning around to meet the other two attackers just in time. She quickly fended them off of her, then turned back to two injured rats. They were much slower, and with two more swift swings of her sword, their lives came to an end.

The final two rats, without any of their comrades to help, were much easier for her to handle, taking them on one-on-one until they, too, dropped lifeless to the ground. But her battle was not over as the rat king loomed over her.

He was much larger than the rats; much, much larger than her, and far stronger than any of the monsters she had encountered so far. But she used that to her advantage, easily dodging his heavy handed blow and attacking him from behind at every opportunity. Before long, wounded and exhausted, the rat king dropped to his knees. He swung desperately at her, his arms flailing wildly, and Kahli kept clear of them, rolling out of the way of his attacks. And when her opening presented itself, she jumped onto the rat, plunging her sword into his back, and he let out a sharp, piercing shriek. He stumbled forward, then fell face first against the ground as his final breath escaped his throat.

Kahli waited a moment to catch her breath and to ensure that the rat king was, in fact, dead, then dislodged her sword from the creature’s lifeless body. She jumped down to the ground as Sam approached her.

“Not bad!” Sam said. She looked around with approval, her hands on her hips. “Good to know you can defend yourself.”

“I guess I owe some of that to you,” Kahli said.

“Hm. Yeah, I guess you do.” Sam grinned. “Come on, let’s find a way out of here, yeah?”

They continued onward through the sewage system. With their enemies defeated, the rest of their adventure proved quiet, and they soon came across a room with various pipes. The pipes met in the center where a sort of control panel stood.

“This must be the control system for all the pipes,” Sam guessed. “Let’s see if we can turn off the goo from here.”

Kahli examined the panel, then turned a few of the pipes. The pipes shuttered and groaned, then slowly quieted.

“You did it! Nice! Let’s get outta here.”

With the polluted pipes turned off, Kahli and Sam left the building, stepping out into the bright, hot sun. They waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, blinking in the light, then Sam spoke.

“Well, thanks for your help! I’m going to stay and look around some more. You should probably let the mayor know what happened. Hopefully that fixed the pollution problem.”

As she made her way back into town, Kahli could already see the river clearing from the pollution. In the plaza, even the fountain ran clearer. It would take some time before all the pollutants were removed and safe to drink from once more, but at least it was fixed.

She found Mayor Gale inside the town hall, and she quickly explained what had happened.

“A talking rat?” Gale laughed. “That’s great.” But his laughter trailed off. “But then again… there are strange tales about monsters from the Periphery, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But, the goo’s gone, and that’s all that matters. Once again, I owe you my thanks!”

“And hazard pay?” Kahli asked, crossing her arms, and Gale laughed again.

*****

It was late in the evening when Sam finally returned to town. Kahli spent the rest of her afternoon at the Round Table, venturing out later to check to make sure Sam had made it back safely. She thought of making her way to the Civil Corps building, but instead saw Sam just as she was coming out of the hazardous ruins.

“Find anything good?” Kahli asked.

“Nah,” Sam said. “Not much. But your patch job seems to be holding up, and I didn’t find any other issues.”

“The water already looks like its clearing up,” Kahli confirmed, and Sam grinned.

“Excellent. I hope the mayor paid you a little extra for clearing out more of those rats for us.” She winked at her.

“I charged her double for the big guy,” Kahli said.

Sam laughed. “Well, if you ever decide you want an adventure, it would be nice to have another woman around.”

Kahli smiled, then bid Sam a goodnight. She made her way back towards the plaza, but voices caught her attention, and as she rounded the corner, she spotted Arlo and Nora together. She had only spoken to Nora a few times since arriving in Portia. She seemed sweet and kind, and Kahli knew - mostly from Emily filling her in some time earlier on some of the people around Portia - that Nora was serving a two year mission in Portia at the Church of Light. Kahli, never being religious herself, had never bothered to venture up to the church in town, so she very rarely saw Nora unless they were passing in the plaza.

Naturally, it surprised Kahli to see Nora out now, considering how late it was. And hanging out with Arlo, no less. And at this hour. Did she mention how late it was? They weren’t exactly easily noticed, especially from the center of town. Were they trying to hide?

Her cheeks warmed slightly as the realization crossed her mind, and she was thankful for the dark night that hid her change in expression as both Nora and Arlo turned to her.

Nora smiled. “Hey, Kahli. I hear you’ve been keeping pretty busy. Everything going well?”

Kahli hesitated. She looked between Nora and Arlo. “Uh. Yep.”

“Did I hear Sam?” Arlo asked.

“Mhm.” Kahli cleared her throat. “Um. We took care of the leaky pipes. And some of those rats.” An odd sort of chuckle escaped her. “Always those rats,” she muttered. She screamed at herself internally; why was she so damn awkward? And always, always around Arlo…

“You seem to have a bad habit of finding trouble,” Arlo commented.

Kahli laughed. “Yup. Well. You know. That’s me. Doing what I can to keep the peace.”

“What would you do without her?” Nora said, turning to Arlo, but Arlo did not answer. Nora turned back to Kahli. “I’m glad you’re settling in alright,” she continued. Everyone has nice things to say about you.”

“Heh,” Kahli started. “Give them time.”

Arlo laughed.

“Okay, well.” Kahli paused, then shot them two finger guns. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Don’t mind me. I’m just… going home now… this way…” She walked backwards. “Okay. Bye.” She spun herself around and hurried into the cover of darkness.

“See ya later!” Nora called from behind her.

Kahli was eager to fall into bed and pull the blankets over her head in a pathetic attempt to hide herself. She wasn’t exactly sure why she felt that way. Did she feel incredibly awkward? Sure. Did she have a reason to? Not particularly. Not that she could be sure of, anyway. It wasn’t like she had walked in on them making out.  _ That _ would have been weird. But they were just talking. In secrecy. But talking.

Still, why should she care? She had seen them hanging out before. It wasn’t anything new. She suspected maybe they were a thing, though no one else in town could actually confirm that. Not that she was digging for information. Not that she cared.

She nearly walked into Emily as she approached the house, and Emily laughed.

“You always got your head in the clouds,” she said. But she read the torn expression on Kahli’s face and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Kahli sighed, then met her gaze. “You were right,” she said in a defeated tone. “I like Arlo.”


	13. Chapter 13

“So, wait. We need to talk about this.”

Kahli sighed. She was sitting beside Emily at the Round Table. It was fairly early, but Sonia offered them breakfast before they opened for the day, and she was cleaning the bar absentmindedly as she listened in to their conversation.

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Kahli muttered.

“Do you really think they were, like, trying to hide or something?”

Kahli shrugged. She stabbed her fork into her eggs.

“I always suspected Nora had a crush on him,” Sonia said. “I guess he does, too?”

Emily frowned. “I dunno,” she said slowly. “Nora is the last person I’d picture him with.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Kahli sneered, then sighed.

“It does to you,” Emily said.

“No. Not really. Whatever, alright? It’s just like, a dumb crush. Who really cares? People have crushes all the time. And then they go away.”

“Don’t tell Antoine,” Emil started, “But Dr. Xu  _ is _ kinda cute.”

“Right,” Kahli said. “It’s not like you want to date him or anything.”

Emily put a forkful of eggs in her mouth and spoke. “So, you don’t want to date Arlo?”

“No,” Kahli said confidently. “I can appreciate good looking men and not want to date them.”

“That’s not a crush,” Sonia pointed out.

Emily swallowed. “What’s the difference?”

“Thinking someone is attractive isn’t a crush. I can tell you both that I think you’re attractive. You are good looking women. But I don’t have a crush on you. I don’t want to date you.”

“So you do want to date Arlo?” Emil said, turning to Kahli.

“No!”

Sonia leaned against the counter and smirked at Kahli. “Do you think about him when you’re all alone?”

“Do you imagine what your life would be like together?” Emily chimed in.

“Do you wonder what he’s up to throughout the day?”

“Do you want to rip his clothes off?

“Wait a minute,” Sonia said, stopping Emily from speaking further. “Now we’re getting into lust. Lust and crushes are different, too.”

“Sure,” Emily said with a shrug. “But couldn’t you feel both?”

“I think lust is more physical,” Sonia said thoughtfully. “Back on the idea of finding someone attractive, but with the bonus of also, you know, wanting to jump their bones. But you don’t really have any real feelings for them other than physical.”

Emily turned to Kahli once more and raised a brow. “You did say you needed to get laid.”

“It’s not like that,” Kahli muttered.

“So, you have feelings for him!”

“No!” Kahli sighed and put her head on the counter. “What was wrong with just calling it a crush again?”

“I think we determined a crush means you have feelings for someone,” Sonia said.

“The first step to recovery is admitting to the problem,” Emily said with a grin.

Kahli thought about this for a moment. “What if I don’t want to be cured?”

Emily squealed and Sonia straightened.

“I think you’ve got your answer,” Sonia said.

“Those are some hard core feelings,” Emily confirmed with a nod.

“I don’t have feelings,” Kahli said. “Feelings are dumb and messy. I am an emotionless robot.”

Emily drank her coffee. “Keep tellin’ yaself that,” she said.

Kahli sighed and sat up. “So, now what?” she said. “I just… have feelings and do nothing about it?”

“Do you want to do something about it?” Sonia asked.

Kahli sighed heavily, blowing her hair out of her face. “I dunno,” she said.

“I think you do,” Sonia pointed out. “You saw him and Nora together and now look at you.”

“Why do I feel like this?” Kahli whined. “It’s like… Well, I’ve never been broken up with, but this is probably what it feels like. And we’re not even a thing.”

“That’s called heartbreak,” Emily said. “You saw them together and thought all your chances were thrown out the window.”

“No,” Kahli said stubbornly. “That would imply that I like him. Like, like-like him.”

“Sure, like you do.”

“I do?”

Sonia and Emily both nodded.

“Oh, fudge,” Kahli said, defeated. She sighed.

“Circling back,” Emily said. “Do you want to do something about it?”

“No,” Kahli said slowly. “I mean. It seems pretty clear that he and Nora are… some kind of undefined something. She’s kinda got dibs, there.”

“Dibs doesn’t apply,” Sonia pointed out. “Besides, she’s in a similar boat as you. She only got here just a few months before you showed up. And she’s almost halfway through her mission here, anyway. She’ll have to go back to Altara after.”

“Fantastic,” Kahli muttered. “I’ll just wait. And by that point, Arlo will be off saving the world or something with the Flying Pigs, so it won’t even matter.”

Emily shrugged. “You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

“Not gonna happen,” Kahli said. “Honestly. How is that supposed to go? ‘Hey, Arlo. I think you’re great and I like you so whadda ya say?’”

“That’s one approach,” Emily said.

Kahli shook her head. “I have a damn commission to work on,” she said. She stood and counted out her payment, slapping it down on the counter. “I’m too busy for a damn relationship, so there. Problem solved.”

“Single forever,” Emily muttered.

“Or, you know, I could just find someone who isn’t already involved.”

“I’m still hesitant to call them involved,” Sonia said. She offered Kahli a warm smile. “Hey, don’t lose hope. You never know, hm?”

Kahli didn’t know how to handle the situation she was in - a crush, or whatever they wanted to call it. She had never had a crush on anyone before. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was one boy in high school - he was nice, funny, good looking - everything a high school girl could have wanted. Reflecting back on it, she supposed she did have a crush on him. And then she realized that he, too, broke her heart when he started hanging out with another girl. And before she knew it, they were hugging and kissing and making googly eyes at one another in between classes.

Yuck. What an awful feeling that was. She tried to push it out of her mind. The truth was, he probably didn’t even notice Kahli. And this situation was no different. Arlo didn’t notice her. And soon, Arlo and Nora would be together.

She eventually got over her high school crush. Because that’s what crushes were; they were just temporary. And then you moved on. And surely Kahli would move on from her crush on Arlo. And everything would be normal again.

Still; she couldn’t stop replaying the simplest moments between them in her head. The way he always smiled when they talked. The way he helped her with the bridge her first week in town. The concern he showed for her safety, and even the willingness to defend her honor. Sure, it was just who he was. That was why he was in the Civil Corps, after all. Some people were just good like that. And she was just part of his job, really. A life to protect because it was his duty to protect Portia.

But she liked to think it was more than that. That she was more than just another citizen.

No. It was stupid to think like that. It was childish. Like a high school crush. It wasn’t real. And she was very familiar with the truths of the world. Nothing lasted. Everything left. One day, Arlo would leave. It was just the way of things in the world, and she had to remind herself of that. She had suffered too many heartbreaks to be willing to go through that again. She pushed the thought out of her mind and instead focused on the job at hand.

“Earth to Kahli.”

She jumped and looked over by the fence. Arlo was leaning against it, and he grinned when she met his gaze.

“You okay over there?”

Kahli’s heart jumped at his voice. “Um. I, uh. What?”

“Did you get another concussion?”

“No,” she said quickly, pulling her gaze away. “I’m sorry. I was… thinking.”

“What’s on your mind?”

She shook her head. “You know, concentrating on not smashing my thumb.” She cleared her throat. “What’s up?”

“I didn’t get to thank you yesterday,” he said. “For helping Sam.”

She still did not look at him. “Oh, sure. You know. Just doing my job.”

“You always seem to do a little more than that,” he said.

“Well, you know, shit happens.”

Silence fell between them, and Kahli looked his way to make sure he was still there. He smiled.

“Cool.” He held up a six pack that Kahli had failed to notice. “Beer?”

She hesitated, then shrugged. “Yeah. Definitely.” She approached the fence, taking the can he offered her, and she cracked it open. They drank in silence for a moment, watching as the sky began to turn shades of pink and purple as the sun made its descent for the evening.

“So,” Kahli started. She considered what Emily and Sonia had said to her that morning, and her heart raced at the thought of asking Arlo about anything to do with Nora. Still, the words tumbled out of her mouth, anyway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything last night.”

Arlo stared at her for a moment. “Huh?”

Kahli drank quickly before speaking. “You and Nora.”

“Oh.” Arlo laughed. “What? What would you have been interrupting?”

“I dunno,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t know what weird things you people do around here. Is it normal to hang out in the dark in secrecy with people in Portia?”

Arlo took a moment to drink. “I s’pose not.”

She didn’t exactly want to pry, but still, her mouth opened. “So, I was interrupting something.” She bit her lip. “I guess it’s not my business.”

Arlo grinned behind his can and glanced at her. “No,” he said. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”

Kahli nodded. “Ah. Well, then that’s a bummer for you, I guess.”

“Is it?”

Kahli shrugged. “I thought maybe, at the very least, you were trying to get laid.”

Arlo laughed. “Really?”

“I mean, that’s where I go to meet all my hookups.”

“You have hookups?” Arlo said with intrigue in his voice. “Don’t tell me it’s Albert.”

Kahli scoffed. “Please,” she said. “What makes you think I even enjoy the company of men?”

Arlo nodded as he considered this. “Touche. Emily, then?”

“Why not Phyllis?”

“I think she’s out of your league.”

“Wow,” Kahli said. “Well, that’s just rude. I could get any woman I wanted.”

“Maybe.” Arlo shrugged. “Apologies. I just thought you and Emily had a real connection.”

“I said hookups,” Kahli pointed out. “No connections there.”

“So,” Arlo started. “There’s something there. Between you and Emily. Why not just admit your feelings and be together?”

“You know, I’m really not about that kinda lifestyle,” Kahli said. “Settling down, being committed to one person. Just not my thing.”

“Hm.”

Kahli glanced at him. “Hm?”

“Ah,” Arlo said. “Nothing.”

“No, come on, spit it out. You obviously have something to say.”

Arlo straightened and stepped away from the fence. His gaze narrowed on her, and he smiled. “I dunno,” he said. “I just don’t think you’re really that kind of person.”

“Oh, right, because you know me so well.”

Arlo shrugged. “Just an observation.”

“Well, please, continue to observe me,” Kahli sneered. “Make all the assumptions you want. I don’t care.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Kahli hesitated. She glanced at him and waited. But he seemed to think better of it, and he shook his head.

“Thanks for sharing a drink with me.”

Kahli raised her beer can. “Thanks for the drink.”


	14. Chapter 14

An early summer storm kept Kahli inside her house most of the morning. She stared aimlessly out the window with a warm cup of coffee in her hands in contemplation. She first debated if she wanted to work on her latest commission, then decided the storm was a good enough excuse to take the day off. But after taking care of the animals, which only took her a couple hours, she was left with nothing more to do and no way to really pass the time.

She opted to stand on the front deck, sheltered by the roof of the overhand, and she leaned on the railing, looking out over the fields that marked Sophie’s ranch. She supposed she could spend some time at the Round Table. Or, were she feeling ambitious, she could have gone to the ruins to search for some more materials. But she wasn’t feeling ambitious in the slightest. She told herself she deserved a day off. Some time to herself. Self care.

But that only gave her mind a chance to reflect on her life. She thought about her mother, her father, her aunt, and for a moment, Arlo, though she quickly pushed those thoughts away.

To her relief, Sam trotted past, soaking wet from riding in the rain, but she paused when she saw Kahli and waved to her.

“Day off?” Sam asked.

Kahli shrugged. “I guess so.”

Sam grinned and straightened. “Excellent. Come hang at the Corps. Arlo’s on patrol tonight and I’ll be there with nothing to do.” She looked down at herself and laughed. “Just let me shower and change into something dry, first.”

Kahli saluted her and Sam waved once more before pushing her horse back into a trot and toward the center of town. Kahli decided it was as good a time as any to clean in the house, killing another hour, then stopped to have a late lunch. When she was ready, she made her way to the Civil Corps building. Sam was already inside, sitting cross legged on one of the couches, and she grinned at Kahli when she entered. To Kahli’s relief, Sam was alone.

“Thank God,” Sam said. She patted the open space on the couch beside her. “It would have sucked if I had to stay here all night by myself.”

Kahli sat beside her and pulled her knees to her chest. “What do you normally do?”

Sam shrugged. “Usually just take naps.” She grinned. “Sometimes I leave Arlo weird notes. I tried to convince him it was a ghost, but he didn’t buy it for a second.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s such a party pooper sometimes. But Remin - now he’s fun to prank.”

“Sounds like you work real hard,” Kahli teased.

“Gotta keep things interesting around here,” she said. “I like working with them. We’re a small group compared to the other branches. But I like it that way.” She frowned. “It’ll be super lame when Arlo leaves, though.”

Kahli glanced at him. “He’s leaving?”

Sam shrugged. “Well, sure, someday, I guess. You know, if he ever gets into the Flying Pigs. But he will. I’m sure of it. This year feels like his year.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I dunno,” she said. “Just a feeling. I’ve known him a long time. There’s something different this year, about him. He works hard for it, so he deserves it, yanno?”

“Sure.” She hesitated. “Why hasn’t he joined earlier?”

Sam laughed. “He fails the test every year,” she said. She shook her head. “I shouldn’t laugh. But I will miss him. Won’t be the same, yanno?”

“What will you guys do if he leaves?”

“I guess we’ll need to get someone else over here,” she said. “We barely get by with the three of us. I don’t think we could keep up if it were just Remi and I.” She met Kahli’s gaze and brightened. “You could join us!”

“I don’t think so,” Kahli said. “I don’t do adventuring.”

“You’ve done more adventuring since you got here than anyone else I know.”

“I don’t think I’d call it adventuring,” she said. “More like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Happy accidents.”

“I’m just lucky the worst I came across were a pack of rats.”

Sam laughed. “After all that training you’ve done with Django? I think you could stand up to a lot more than that.”

“You would be unwise to put that kind of faith in me.”

“Nah,” Sam said. “I usually have a good feeling about people. Just you wait. I told ya this would be Arlo’s year, didn’t I? Let’s see what happens in the fall when he goes to take the test again.”

“Alright,” Kahli said. “We’ll talk about this again in the fall when Arlo fails and you don’t need me.”

Sam laughed. “Deal.” She reached out to the nearby table and grabbed a deck of cards. She smiled slyly at Kahli. “Are you a betting woman?”

If Kahli was good at one thing, it was cards. Over the years, she and her aunt had played many rounds of every card game imaginable. When she was younger, it was easy, childhood games, but as she got older, her aunt taught her the ways of playing her opponents instead of her cards.

To say her aunt had a slight gambling addiction might have been an exaggeration. There were many nights where her girl friends came over, and they sat around the patio table in the hot, dry nights on the back deck in the light of the bug zapper, cigarettes between their fingers and booze on their breath. They laughed loudly as the cards were passed, and coins clanged together as they were tossed into the center before being greedily swiped away by the winner.

Kahli didn’t understand it as a child, but in her teenage years, she had learned to keep up with the women, even surprising them from time to time and cleaning their pockets.

Sam wasn’t her aunt, but she was good enough to challenge even Kahli, and the hours of the afternoon quickly disappeared as they laughed and joked and gambled playfully. When Remington stepped in that evening, they convinced him to join, but he quickly grew sour when he realized both women were wiping him clean, and the game soon ended with him pouting in a chair.

It was nearing midnight when Arlo returned from his patrol, and he was surprised to see the building occupied when he entered. Three bodies occupied the two couches. On one, Remington was stretched out, his leg draped over the arm, a snore escaping his throat. The other was occupied by Kahli and Sam, each sleeping against an arm, their legs stretched out on top of one another. Sam mumbled in her sleep, stretched her arms, and turned over.

Arlo looked wide-eyed at the sight before him for a moment, then his brows furrowed. “They have their own houses, right?” he said out loud to himself.

Sam woke briefly at his voice. “I’m off duty,” she muttered.

“Go home.”

“Mm. Couch is comfy.”

“Yes,” Remington spoke up. “Please stop talking and let me sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“You have a bed,” Arlo pointed out.

“We can cuddle.”

Sam snickered. “Shh. Don’t wake Kahli.”

“Why is she here?”

“Some of us like her,” Sam said.

“I tried, Arlo,” Remington said. “They tried to paint my nails.”

“They succeeded, I see.”

Remington sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it. It was a dark time in my past.”

“You’re next, Arlo,” Kahli muttered as she started to wake.

“Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged,” Sam said with a grin.

“This isn’t a slumber party.”

“It is,” Sam said. “We already had a pillow fight and wrote in our diaries.”

“This was not what I signed up for,” Arlo muttered.

*****

Remington was gone the next morning on patrol, but to Arlo’s dismay, Kahli and Sam remained, their giggles waking him. He trudged out of his room to stare at them angrily, but this only caused them to giggle further.

“Don’t you have something better to do?” he sneered.

“Someone’s not a morning person,” Kahli muttered.

“Oh, I am when it’s not being ruined by whatever this is.”

“Rude,” Sam said.

Kahli smiled sheepishly and held a cup of coffee up. “I brought fuel.”

Arlo hesitated, then sighed. “Okay. You are forgiven.” He took the mug and sat with them.

“Aw, poor baby,” Sam said. “Did little Arlo not get enough beauty sleep?”

Arlo flipped his hair dramatically. “No,” he said. “Thanks to you, I’m gonna have bags under my eyes. How will I ever be able to step out into public?”

“Make up,” Kahli said. “It does wonders.”

“Yeah,” Sam scoffed. “It almost makes you look human.”

“Hey!” Kahli barked. “You weren’t supposed to tell everyone!”

“Are you a troll, then?” Arlo asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Worse,” Kahli teased. “I’m… the Boogeyman!”

Arlo blinked at her, then smiled. “You’re weird.”

Kahli blushed and pulled her gaze away. “That’s probably why my father ran off,” she said with a grin. “Fuck this crazy train.”

Sam giggled. “I like it,” she said. “How do I get on board?”

“Tickets ain’t free,” Kahli said.

Arlo snorted, and Kahli sneered at him.

“Shut up! That’s not what I meant!”

Sam laughed. “Oh, man, you make it so easy.”

“See if I buy you losers coffee again,” Kahli muttered.

“Oh, no, what ever will I do?” Sam said playfully. “Probably just buy myself coffee with all the money I won off of ya.”

“It was a draw,” Kahli barked.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Next time I’ll win.”

“You wish.” Kahli grinned at her and stood. “I gotta get home. Smell ya later, kids.”

She hadn’t expected to spend the night there, and she knew she’d have hungry animals waiting when she got home. She left Sam and Arlo alone and hurried through town, pausing only when Nora caught her attention in the plaza.

“Hey, Kahli,” she said with a warm smile. “Everything okay?”

“Sure,” Kahli said. “Why?”

“Oh. I just saw you coming from the Civil Corps.”

Kahli hesitated. “Oh, yeah,” she started. “I was hanging out with Sam last night and… well we were drinking and passed out.”

“Oh.” She was quiet for a moment, then her smile returned. “Are they trying to recruit you over there?”

“Ha, yeah, something like that, I guess.”

“Well, they’ll need the help when…” She hesitated and frowned. “Would you really consider joining them?”

“I don’t think so,” Kahli said.

Nora nodded. “It’s dangerous work.” She forced a smile. “Well, anyway. It’s good to see you. Don’t lose yourself in your work like higgins.”

Kahli’s lips pressed together. “I’ll try not to.” She smiled and hurried out of the plaza. She was certain now that Nora had feelings for Arlo. She hurried home, eager to busy herself with work for the next several years instead of thinking about Arlo and Nora together.


	15. Chapter 15

Kahli did keep herself busy with work over the next few days, earning herself some decent pay. And as usual, it was Emily that came and dragged her out of her workshop, reminding her to show her face in town and attempt to have some kind of social life. 

“You get way too involved with work,” Emily said as she pulled her wrist and led her up the road. “You’re going to turn into Higgins.”

She followed Emily to the Round Table where they took their usual seats at the bar. Sonia quickly made them their drinks, then returned to tending to the dinner rush. Sam, Arlo, and Remington were already seated at a table when they arrived, and Sam bounced up to them, joining them at the bar.

“Excellent,” she said. “I was hoping we could get our drink on!”

Emily shook her head. “I promised Gran I’d make it an early night.”

Sam turned to Kahli expectantly. Kahli raised her drink and Sam cheered.

“No Antoine?” Kahli asked.

“I think he’s at home writing smut starring himself and Dr. Xu,” Emily said.

“He really needs to get laid,” Sam said.

“One of these days, we should really take a trip into the city,” Emily said. “Take him out, get him drunk, and see who he ends up going home with.”

“Maybe then he’ll stop creepin’ on the hot doctor all the time.” Sam rolled her eyes.

“Do we really have nothing better to talk about?” Kahli asked.

Sam and Emily shrugged.

“C’mon,” Sam said. “It’s Portia. It’s not exactly the most exciting place in the world.”

“That can’t be true,” Emily said. “You guys seem to be keeping pretty busy.”

“There has been increased activity on the edges of Portia,” Sam said. “We can’t figure out why, though.”

“Do you think Duvos has something to do with it?” Emily asked.

Sam frowned. “I dunno,” she said. “I hope not.” When Sonia returned behind the counter, Sam ordered a drink, and Albert slid between her and Kahli.

“Ladies,” he said smoothly. He gave Kahli a wink. “Sonia, dear, another round?”

“For you, Alby, anything.” She met his gaze and smile.

Kahli watched their interaction for a moment. Sonia giggled as Albert flirted with her, and his hand lingered on her’s when she handed him his drink. He glanced at Kahli, Emily, and Sam once more, flashing them a sparkling grin, before leaving the bar.

When he was out of earshot, Emily snorted and rolled her eyes. “Why do you do that?” she said to Sonia.

Sonia smiled, her cheeks warming slightly, and she turned her attention to some dirty glasses. “He tips when I stroke his ego.”

“That’s not all you’re stroking,” Sam muttered.

“I thought he was a womanizer?” Kahli asked.

“He is,” Emily confirmed with a nod. “But he’s got money, and Sonia’s into that.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Sonia said, narrowing her eyes at Emily.

“It’s not your best trait,” Emily said dryly, and she sipped her drink.

“Salty,” Sam said. 

“Is it so wrong to look for a man with a stable income?”

“It is if that’s all you like about him,” Emily said.

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Where’s Antoine when I need him?”

“He’d say the same thing,” Sam pointed out.

“You guys are bitchy tonight,” Sonia muttered. “I’m charging you full price.”

“We were getting a discount?” Kahli frowned and looked down at her half empty drink, but Sonia said nothing more, leaving them alone at the bar.

Emily finished her drink and slid the empty glass across the counter. She stood and stretched her arms. “Alright, that’s it for me.”

“You just got here,” Sam whined.

“Sorry,” she said. “I promised Gran.”

“Hey,” Kahli called to her as she made her way to the door. “I’m coming over tomorrow for a pie.”

Emily smiled. “I’ll make sure we have a fresh one for ya.” She waved, then stepped out into the night.

Sam turned to Kahli. “C’mon, let’s go bother the guys.”

“Don’t you think I’ve annoyed them enough lately?”

Sam grinned. “Nah,” she said. “They like having you around.”

Kahli raised a brow. “They do?” But Sam was already making her way across the restaurant to their booth. Kahli sighed, then followed. She mentally sighed in relief when Sam took the empty seat beside Arlo, and she slid in beside Remington.

“Look who decided to hang out with us,” Remington said.

“Did you miss me?” Kahli batted her eyelashes playfully at him.

“Always,” Remington said with a grin.

Sam barked out a laugh. “She was just telling me how much you smell.”

Remington frowned. “Why you trying to get between us?”

“Sam’s just jealous,” Kahli said.

“Speaking of getting between you,” Arlo said. “You’re not letting Albert pick you up, are you?”

“And what if I am?” Kahli asked. “He’s just so… charming.” She snorted.

“Yeah, what of it?” Sam said to him. “You jealous? Is Albert taking all the ladies away from you?”

“No,” Arlo sneered at her.

Sam giggled. “Aw, it’s okay, Arlo. Someday your prince will come.”

Arlo rolled his eyes and sighed. “I can put you to work tomorrow.”

“You can’t tell me what to do!”

Arlo blinked at her. “Yes, actually, I can. That’s how it works. I’m the boss.”

“Never!” Sam quickly chugged her drink. “You’ll never take me alive!”

“So dramatic,” Remington said.

“I hope you plan on drinking yourself to death,” Arlo said. “Because I will make you work with a hangover.”

Sam frowned. “Someone needs to get laid,” she muttered into her empty glass.

Arlo moved to punch her, but she ducked just in time and giggled.

“How do you deal with this?” Kahli asked Remington.

“I drink,” he said simply.

“They’re like children.”

“I am not a child,” Arlo sneered.

“He makes it so easy,” Sam giggled.

“I’m going to have to walk her home, aren’t I?” Remington said.

“She’s drunk already?” Kahli asked.

“She’s a lightweight.” Arlo rolled his eyes.

“And she gets giggly and immature when she’s drunk.”

“You’re…. You’re Mama!” Sam retorted childishly.

“I guess it’s that time,” Remington said with a sigh.

Kahli slid out of the booth, allowing Remington to exit, and he pulled Sam out.

“You’re a party pooper,” Sam said.

“Leave before you get roped into work,” Remington said.

Sam stuck her tongue out at Arlo before Remington turned her around and pushed her toward the door. Kahli grinned as she watched them leave, then slid back into the booth.

“I like drunk Sam,” she said.

Arlo laughed. “It gets old.”

Silence fell between them for a moment. Kahli put her chin in her hand and looked around the room.

“Guess all our friends ditched us,” she said.

“You have friends?”

Kahli wrinkled her nose. “Rude.” She briefly met Arlo’s gaze, then turned back to her drink.

“Can I ask you something?”

Kahli glanced at him, but he seemed to be studying his drink carefully.

“I guess so.”

“It’s, uh, personal. You’re a girl, right?”

She snorted. “Last time I checked,” Kahli said. She rolled her eyes.

“Right. Sure. I just... need a woman’s opinion. But you can’t tell anyone.”

“Sam’s a woman,” Kahli pointed out. “Why can’t you ask her?”

“Because she gets all excited and squeaky about stuff. And I need someone blunt and honest.”

Kahli considered this, her lips pursed. She made a zipping motion across her lips. “You’re weird secrets are safe with me.”

Arlo hesitated. “A few days ago, Nora kind of laid out her feelings for me. I haven’t given her a response yet. It’s all kind of sudden. I like talking to her, but I guess I’ve always kind of seen her as a little sister.”

“Oh.” Kahli cleared her throat. “Well, are you attracted to her?”

“Yeah, sure, I guess. She’s pretty. But I guess I haven’t really considered dating. I’m all about the Civil Corps right now.”

Kahli nodded. Her lips pressed together. “Right. Sure.”

“I guess I just don’t know how to approach it. If I got into a relationship, I’d need to make sure I make time for her. What do you think?”

Kahli blinked at him for a moment, surprised with such a question. “Well,” she started. “You just said that you’re focusing on your career,” she pointed out. “It’s great that you would want to make time for her, but that would likely mean giving up on your goals.” She shrugged. “Maybe you could make it work, but to be honest, it doesn’t sound like you’re interested in a relationship, anyway. If you don’t feel the same way, it’s not fair to lead her on.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I guess a part of me just wanted to give it a try. But she’s younger, and we’re worlds apart. And my job is dangerous, anyway. I wouldn’t want anyone to worry.”

She forced a smile and met his gaze. “You just gotta be honest with yourself, and with her.”

“Thanks. It helped to talk it out. I guess I’ll have to talk with her soon.”

“Sure. But for what it’s worth, I think Sam would have been blunt with you.”

“Not when she’s drinking,” he pointed out.

“You could have, you know, asked her when she’s not drinking.”

“I guess.” He paused. “Sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

He met her gaze, then smiled. “For bothering you with my problems, which I obviously did.”

“I welcome someone else’s problems,” Kahli said. “Makes me feel good to know I’m not the only one that doesn’t have her shit together.”

Arlo chuckled. “What problems are plaguing you?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I mean. You know. The usual. Abandonment issues and what not.”

“Right. The usual.” He hesitated. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Kahli sighed and put her chin in her hand. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. “Do you know why I came here?”

“No.”

“My father left me the workshop,” she said.

“Oh.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry.”

Kahli smiled. “You think he died.”

Arlo raised a brow.

“He’s alive. Or, as far as I know.” She sighed and leaned back against the booth. “I don’t know why he left me that place. Guess he thought it would make up for walking out on me years ago and leaving me with nothing.” She met Arlo’s gaze and grinned. “I’m a walking cliche, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Arlo frowned. “I don’t think so.”

Kahli shrugged. “Well. That was the first time I had heard from him. And I haven’t heard since. And I’m not sure if I should continue feeling angry, or what. If he thinks this is some stupid way to make it better, he’s wrong.” She sighed. “I have a lot of time to try to analyze it when I’m working, but I only end up with more questions. But. It helps to bang things.”

“As long as it’s not your thumb.”

“Hm.” She blew her hair out of her face. “Well. It isn’t all bad, I guess. Portia isn’t so bad.”

Arlo smiled. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.”

Kahli met his gaze. “Me too.”


	16. Chapter 16

Naturally, Kahli spent the rest of her evening probably reading too much into Arlo’s words. But she told herself he was simply being nice. Everyone in Portia was nice. And she was an awkward, snarky, dork. She didn’t really think she fit in with them. They all had their lives together, and she was just the new girl that stumbled her way in without a damn clue as to what she was doing.

Still, they welcomed her, and though she had only been there a few months, she quickly grew close with Emily, Sam, and Sonia. And, sure, she supposed even Arlo, though she tried not to think too much about it.

Work. She needed more work to do. So the next morning, she made her way into town. It wasn’t particularly early, but she was still surprised to see so many people milling about. Nora and Lee were among them, and though Lee seemed to be in the midst of a discussion with Tody, Nora stood off to the side alone. When she spotted Kahli, she smiled and waved, and Kahli stopped to wish her a good morning.

“Nice to see you,” Nora said. “Seems like you’ve been keeping busy lately.”

“I’m more of a night owl,” Kahli admitted. “And I apparently spend my evenings at the Round Table, now.”

Nora giggled. “That’s certainly where a lot of people hang out,” she said. “Django and Sonia do a great job.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you there.”

“I’m not much of a drinker,” Nora said. “And I’ve been really focused on my work with the church. I’m only here for another year and a half.” She shrugged. “So, I guess I don’t really get out much.”

“Strictly business,” Kahli commented.

Nora hesitated. “I guess so.” She paused. “Actually. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you… Are you and Arlo…”

“No,” Kahli said quickly. “I mean. What? No. We’re friends. Just friends.”

But this didn’t seem to be the answer she was expecting. “Oh,” she said softly. Her brows furrowed slightly, as if confused.

“Did… you think we were… something?”

“I thought maybe you liked him,” she said. “Or that maybe he liked you.”

Kahli hesitated. “Why would you think that?”

Nora let out a sigh. “You guys seemed to be hanging out a lot,” she started. “And… I don’t know. I thought maybe…”

Kahli offered her a smile. “Nah,” she said, trying to play it off casually “He’s all yours.”

Nora gave a short, light laugh. “Not really,” she said. “I mean. I do kind of like him, I guess. But… I dunno. I kinda told him that, and he kinda turned me down.”

“Oh.” She started to feel guilty; had she led him to that decision? She had tried to sound unbiased, but maybe she let her own feelings get in the way.

“And I thought maybe it was because he liked you.” She met Kahli’s gaze. “So, I guess I was just… curious… if you were, well, you know…”

“No,” Kahli said. “Ha. No. I don’t think he sees me that way.”

“But you like him.” She smiled.

Kahli pulled her gaze away. “No,” she said. “I mean. Yeah. You know. As a friend.”

“It’s okay,” Nora said. “We’re too different, anyway. I don’t think there’d be much of a future for us, with him wanting to join the Flying Pigs and all. But, for what it’s worth, I think he likes you.”

Kahli hesitated. “I dunno about that,” she said, then shook her head, dismissing the idea entirely. “There… wouldn’t be a future for us, either. He’s not exactly in a position to have a serious relationship.”

Nora’s lips twisted to the side. “Maybe,” she started slowly. “But, I dunno, I think you’re different, you know? Like, maybe he could have both with you.”

“That’s… sweet,” Kahli said. She looked down at her feet, then shrugged. “Maybe. But I… well, it doesn’t really matter.”

Nora frowned. “Why not?”

Kahli sighed. “I’m not really… relationship material. I don’t think I’d handle a break up very well.” She shrugged.

“Who says you would break up?”

“You’re an optimist, and that’s adorable,” Kahli started. “I used to be like that. But when the people you need most walk out on you, you kinda get used to being alone. It's preferable, actually. Then there’s no one to disappoint you. No one can… break your heart.”

Nora frowned. “Oh.” She paused. “I don’t think he’d break your heart.”

“Because I won’t give anyone the opportunity.”

“You’re kind of stubborn, huh?”

Kahli smiled. “Maybe.” She shrugged. “But I wouldn’t expect anyone to give anything up to be with me. That’s the last thing I would want. So, it saves us both the trouble, really. Some people are just better off alone.”

Nora met Kahli’s gaze. “I think someday, you might see things differently. I hope that for you, anyway. You deserve happiness.”

“Thanks,” Kahli muttered. She wasn’t a fan of all these personal conversations. Why was everyone suddenly confiding in her? And more importantly, was Nora right?

“Sure,” Nora said.

“Can I ask you something?” Kahli asked.

Nora seemed surprised. “Of course.”

“What are you going to do when you finish your mission?”

She thought about this for a moment. “I suppose I’d go back to the university,” she said. “Finish school.”

“And then what?”

Nora met her gaze. “I’m not sure,” she admitted.

“Would you come back to Portia?”

She hesitated. “I used to think I might. But now I don’t think so. I might go somewhere else.” She smiled. “There’s a big world out there to see.”

“Oh.” Kahli forced a smile. “Didn’t think you were the adventuring type.”

Nora blushed. “I don’t know if I’d call myself an adventurer,” she said. “But there’s so much more I could learn about.”

Kahli’s guilt returned. She couldn’t help but to feel like she was the reason that Nora wouldn’t come back to Portia. What if she never came? Would Nora and Arlo end up together? Would Nora have stayed in Portia to be with him? Would Arlo have stayed to be with her? Would they have gotten married and had little babies running around in their perfect little town living their perfect little lives?

And Kahli just had to waltz on it like she belonged and ruin everything.

“I’m sorry,” Kahli muttered.

Nora’s brows furrowed. “What are you sorry for?”

“I dunno,” she said quickly. “For asking so many questions.”

Nora smiled. “I don’t mind,” she said. “If I may offer an observation, you seem as lost as I was when I first got here.”

“Is it that obvious?” Kahli muttered.

“I came to Portia for my mission,” Nora said. “But, I dunno. A part of me thinks I was meant to come here, you know? And I think you were meant to come here, too. Whatever that reason might be. People come to Portia for so many reasons. There’s just something about this place. It seems to be just what people need when they need it most. I think we all came here a little lost, but we found home. Even though I’m only here for a short time, Portia feels like home. And no matter where in the world I am, I’ll always call Portia home.”

Kahli met her gaze. “That sounds pretty smart.”

Nora laughed lightly. “Maybe. I dunno. It’s just a feeling I have, I guess.”

“I like that feeling,” Kahli said. “I hope you’re right.”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Nora said. “Focus on living in the moment. Don’t let life pass you by.”

Kahli smiled. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“And don’t get lost in that workshop of yours, alright?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

*****

Kahli took Nora’s words to heart, and instead of searching for more work for herself, she opted to allow herself a day off. She returned home and saddled Star, then rode towards Amber Island where she let the horse graze while she sat on the edge of the bridge, her feet dangling over the river. She breathed in the scent of the ocean from the nearby harbor and turned her face to the warmth of the sun. Songbirds accompanied the delicate swishing sound of Star’s tail and the trickling of the river, and for the first time in a long time, Kahli truly felt at peace. Her mind was quiet; she didn’t think about work, about her father, or about Arlo.

“Taking a day off?”

Arlo. How did he always seem to find her? She sighed, cursing silently to herself. All she wanted was one more zen moment to herself. Still, she couldn’t help the way her heart leapt at the sound of his voice, and she turned to see him dismounting his own horse on the shore.

“Is that alright with you?” she asked.

Arlo laughed. “I’m not your boss.”

“I’m my own boss,” Kahli said. “And Boss says I can have a day off.”

Arlo stepped onto the bridge, tapping it with his foot. “Still holding.”

“You doubt my abilities as a builder?”

“Nah,” Arlo said. “Well. Not anymore.”

Kahli rolled her eyes and Arlo sat beside her.

“You’re interrupting my day off,” Kahli said.

“You need a day off from me?”

“Never.”

Arlo smiled. “Good.”

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Kahli asked.

Arlo shook his head. “Day off.”

“So, what are you doing wasting it here with me?”

“It’s not a waste.”

Kahli met his gaze. “Were you looking for me?”

Arlo hesitated. He smiled. “Just passing by.”

“Ah.” Kahli turned her gaze back to the river. She let her feet swing out from under her. “Well, I guess I find your company tolerable.”

“And I yours.”

“You know,” Kahli started conversationally. “I couldn’t help but notice that I don’t know that much about you.”

“To be fair, I don’t know that much about you,” Arlo pointed out.

“Sure you do,” Kahli said. “You know I came here because my father told me to and he walked out on me when I was little.”

“That’s all I know.”

“That’s all there is to know.”

“That can’t be true,” Arlo said. “What was your life like in Barnarock?”

Kahli shrugged. “Pretty average and boring,” she said. “I didn’t do anything exciting. Went to school. Graduated. Did nothing except work. Came here.”

“Dreams and aspirations.”

“None.”

“There must have been something.”

Kahli thought about this for a moment, then frowned. “No,” she said. “I really didn’t care much about anything.” She hesitated. “Maybe, at one point, I used to dream about going off on some adventure with my father, but… I grew up.” She sighed. “But enough about me.” She met his gaze expectantly.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my life wasn’t that exciting. Born and raised here.”

“And you want to go on some big adventure with the Flying Pigs,” Kahli said.

Arlo laughed lightly. “Yeah, maybe. Something like that.” He hesitated. “Maybe I’ll take you with me. You know, so you can live out your own dream of being an adventurer.”

Kahli met his gaze briefly and smiled. “Yeah. Maybe.”


	17. Chapter 17

“I missed ya the other night.”

Antoine looked up from his desk and smiled as Kahli came in through the door.

“Heard you were too busy writing smut or something.”

Antoine’s cheeks flushed. “Shut up, no I wasn’t,” he sputtered quickly. “I have a life besides hanging out with you guys at the Round Table every night.”

Kahli raised a brow. “Do you?”

Antoine sighed and put his chin in his hand. “No, not really.” He examined his nails in disinterest as he moved the course of the conversation. “What’s going on with you and Arlo?”

Kahli squeaked, then sneered at him. “Nothing,” she hissed through her teeth.

“Annoying, huh?”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“You guys seem pretty friendly.”

“Yeah, it’s called being friends.”

Antoine met her gaze and grinned. “Alright,” he said.

Kahli pulled a commission off the board, and without another word, she left the building.

“See ya tonight,” Antoine called behind her.

She trotted down the front steps, muttering to herself. As soon as she stepped down into the plaza, however, an odd sound caught her attention, drawing her gaze to the sky. At that moment, something that seemed to resemble a fiery spacecraft soard overhead and plummeted to the ground towards the hazardous ruins.

Without another thought, Kahli ran in the direction of the aircraft, but it seemed the rest of Porita had had a similar idea. A crowd had gathered in front of the gates, and Sam stood before them in a desperate attempt to try to calm the alerted citizens.

“What the hell was that?” Mars demanded. “Are we under attack?”

“It fell from the sky!” Martha exclaimed.

Mei eagerly stepped forward with a notepad in hand. “Can you at least tell us what it is? This is big news!”

Paulie crossed his arms. “I'm tellin' ya! It's aliens!

“This must be fully investigated,” Petra said.

Sam gestured for them to calm down with her hands. “Alright, alright, calm down,” she said. “We’re on top of this. Arlo and Remington are at the crash site right now. We'll let you know what it is as soon as we find out!”

But it was just at that moment that Arlo and Remington came through, and Sam turned to them expectantly.

“And there they are now,” she said. “What’s the word.”

“It appears to be a relic of some sort,” Remington said.

Both Petra and Mei spoke up simultaneously.

“Relic?”

“Really?”

“Aliens,” Paulie muttered, as if he knew it all along.

“But we’ve got a small problem,” Remington continued. “The relic knocked over a tower and created a giant hole on the ground, and some monsters came out as a result. I measured it to be around 4 or 5 meters. We need it patched right away.” His gaze found Kahli. “Think you can give us a hand?”

“That’s what I do best,” Kahli said.

Remington turned back to Sam. “Don’t let anyone in until the hole’s plugged. Arlo and I are gonna clear out what we can in the meantime.”

Sam saluted him. “You got it.”

Remington made his way through the gates once more, and under Sam’s orders, the crowd reluctantly dispersed. Kahli quickly made her way home to gather the tools she needed, then returned to the gate where Sam waited. Sam stepped aside, allowing her entry.

“Don’t get into any trouble,” she called after Kahli as Kahli made her way to the crash site.

It wasn’t hard to find the crash site; all Kahli had to do was follow the black smoke that quickly rose in the air. She quickly found Remington and Arlo, along with several slain creatures on the ground.

Kahli kept her distance for a moment, hesitant. “Did you get them all?” she asked warily.

“For now,” Remington said.

“That’s encouraging,” Kahli muttered. Still, she approached the hole and examined it.

“Can you fix it?” Arlo asked.

Kahli grinned. “In case you haven’t noticed, I can hit the nails now.” She dropped her tools by the hole and studied it for a moment more. But a distant, shrill kind of cry caught their attention, and before she could ask what it was, there was a blow to her side and she was pushed away from the hole and onto the ground. Her first instinct was to fight off whatever had hit her, but when she looked up, Arlo was getting up and standing in front of her as several more creatures leapt out of the hole.

Both Arlo and Remington quickly fended off the creatures, and while they were preoccupied, Kahli hurried back to the hole, working quickly to patch it before anything else could come out of it. By the time she had finished, Arlo and Remington had made quick work of them, and they turned to Kahli as she backed away from the sealed hole.

Kahli blew her hair out of her face. She felt Arlo watching her, but she kept her gaze on the patched hole. “Thanks.”

“Well, that’s that,” Remington said.

“This is not how I thought today would go,” Arlo muttered.

“What is it, anyway? Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen in the books.”

“Why don’t we pop it open and see?” Arlo suggested.

But before they could do anything, the door swung open and a yellow robot with a missing leg stumbled out and fell to the ground.

“Holy moly!” it exclaimed.

“It’s a robot!” Remington said in surprise.

Arlo stepped in front of Kahli, and Kahli peered curiously over his shoulder.

“How rude,” the robot said angrily. “The name is… ack! Ack!”

“Ack?” Kahli repeated.

“No, no. It’s...ack! Klack… Ack! What the…”

“Who are you?” Arlo sneered. “What is this?”

“I’m the chef of my space station,” the robot started. “A piece of which is right here…”

“Space station?” Arlo repeated.

“Jeepers creepers!” Ack exclaimed as he looked around. “I’m on the ground! How did I get here?”

“You fell from the sky,” Kahli said.

“You don’t say.” He tried to stand, but with a missing leg, the robot collapsed, and he shouted in surprise.

“Woah,” Remington started. He moved to the robot. “Don’t move, okay?

“I’m not panicking! I’m not panicking!”

“We gotta show him to the mayor,” Remington said.

“Yeah, we should,” Arlo agreed. “I’ll grab him. Let’s go.”

Alro picked up the one legged robot, and Kahli quickly followed Remington out of the wasteland as Arlo trailed behind. When they reached the gate, they explained to Sam what had happened.

“I missed out on all the fun!” she whined.

At the Civil Corps building, Kahli waited inside with Sam and Arlo as Remington went into town to get the mayor.

Arlo placed the robot carefully in the cell, closing and locking the door.

“Is that really necessary?” Kahli asked. “What do you think he’s going to do with one leg?”

“She has a point,” Ack said.

Arlo ignored him. “Can’t be too careful.” He turned to Kahli. “Are you alright?”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“I’m going to check around the crash site some more,” Arlo said. “You guys sit tight.”

“So?” Sam said to Kahli expectantly when Arlo was gone. “Did you kick some major ass?”

Kahli shook her head. “No,” she said in a disappointed tone. “I almost got  _ my _ ass kicked.”

Sam laughed. “I thought you were better than that!”

“Hey, I’m just the person that fixes things. I wasn’t prepared to have monsters jumping out at me.”

Sam frowned. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No.” She opted to say nothing more about the situation.

To her relief, the door opened and Remington entered. Mayor Gale, Lee, and Merlin followed behind him. And not long after, Arlo returned as well. They joined Kahli and Sam by the cell. Merlin, naturally, looked at the robot in awe, but Lee kept his distance, regarding it with caution.

“You can’t arrest me!” Ack shouted. “I know my rights!

“Now, now,” Gale started. “Please calm down, Mr. Ack. We’re just trying to sort out this… situation. You unexpectedly dropped in on us, after all. I take it that you were on the Altair One space station for the duration of the last three hundred years. Am I correct?”

“I’m not saying anything until I see my lawyer!”

“Fascinating!” Merlin marveled. 

“Why are we even talking to this thing?” Lee hissed.

“Look, Mr. Ack,” Gale continued. “The sooner you show us you’re not a threat, the better off it is for all of us.”

“Well, call me pancake, but I’m a chef!” Ack exclaimed. “How am I a threat? And to answer your question, I was in a maintenance mode for the last three hundred and thirty years, two months, and seventeen days. When I woke up, I was here.”

“So, you’re not an assassin sent from Duvos?” Gale asked slowly.

“Look, old monsieur, I know not what a Duvos is. And even if I did, why would I tell you?”

Gale sighed. “Sure, sure, you have a point.”

“What should we do with him?” Arlo asked.

“Get rid of it right now,” Lee demanded. “We don’t know what it’ll do. Remember that dancing robot in Ethea?”

“I say we let him stay at the research center,” Merlin said. “We’ll take responsibility for him. He’s a treasure trove to be explored!”

“You dare?” Lee hissed. “You’re putting everyone’s lives on the lines.”

“He’s a living AI! There aren’t too many of them in the free cities.”

“You know I can hear you,” Ack said in an annoyed tone. “Don’t you care what I want?”

“Go on,” Gale said.

“I’d say release me, but I know you’re not going to do that,” Ack said. “So, I would like a glass of milk.”

Gale raised a brow. “Alright,” he said slowly. “I guess we can arrange that.”

“And I want to know what happened to my crew mates,” Ack said.

Gale turned to Arlo.

Arlo frowned, hesitant. “We checked the crashed station. Your crew mates didn’t make it. They died hundred of years ago. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Ack looked down at the ground.

“Mr. Ack,” Gale said. “I’m sorry for your loss. But for now, I need you to cooperate and stay here until we figure out what options we have for you. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, sure,” Ack said softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Gale turned to Kahli. “Can you do anything about Mr. Ack’s leg? Make him as comfortable as you can.”

Kahli nodded. “Of course.” She watched as Gale, Lee, and Merlin left, then squatted down beside the cell as Ack muttered to himself.

“Life is hard, then you die… hallelujah, hallelujah…”

Kahli cleared her throat. “Um, do you want me to fix up your leg?”

“What’s the point,” Ack said, defeated. “Oh, my dear Lara... hallelujah.”

“Didn’t he want some milk?” Sam asked. “I’ll go get some from Sonia!”

“I think I’ve got just the thing for that leg,” Kahli said. She turned to Arlo. “Be nice to him. I’ll be back.” She followed Sam out of the building, and they parted ways at the plaza as Sam headed into the Round Table and Kahli made her way toward home.

Inside her workshop, she shifted through some scrap metal and extra pieces, then set to work, quickly putting together a leg for Ack. When she got back to the Civil Corps building, Sam had already returned with a glass of milk for Ack, and the robot seemed to be in a slightly better mood than when she left.

Kahli stood in front of the cell with her arms folded, then looked to Arlo expectantly. He sighed, then opened the cell for her, and Kahli set to work on attaching the new leg she had made for Ack.

“How’s that?” Kahli asked when she finished. “What do you think?”

She helped Ack to his feet, and he moved the leg first to test it. Then, he took a step, and another step, and he walked across the cell with ease. He turned to Kahli. “It’s perfect,” he said. “Thank you.”

“All in a day’s work,” she said proudly as she exited the cell. She turned to the three Civil Corps officers. “Now, I expect you all to be nice to Ack.”

“Are you kidding?” Sam started. “He’s the coolest!”

“Sure,” Remington said. “As long as he doesn’t try to kill us in our sleep.”

Sam laughed. “Right. Look at him. He’s harmless.”

Kahli turned to Ack. “I’ll come check on you tomorrow,” she said. “Make sure that leg still works.” She bid the four of them a good night, then made her way back into town where she ran into Mayor Gale.

“Ah, Kahli,” he said.

“I was able to fx Ack’s leg,” Kahli informed him.

“Oh! Great! Thank you.” He sighed. “Mr. Ack certainly has an interesting personality, don’t you think?”

Kahli smiled. In truth, she found the robot to be cute, charming even. “Have you decided what will happen to him?” she asked curiously.

“Not yet,” Gale said. “We’re still deliberating on the possibilities. A decision is coming soon. The church and research center are really going at it, though.”

“What do you think?”

“As my wife used to say; everyone deserves a chance.”


	18. Chapter 18

Kahli returned to the Civil Corps building the next morning, but it seemed Arlo, Sam, and Remington were all out. She peered inside, then let herself in, rounding the corner to find Ack still in the cell, sitting on the floor.

“Oh.” Ack stood. “Good morning, Kahli.”

“Hey, Ack.” She smiled. “Everyone leave you alone?”

“It seems so.”

“Would you like some company?”

He seemed to brighten at this. “I would not mind that at all.”

Kahli pulled up a chair and sat in front of the cell. “You must have a lot of questions,” she said. Her brows furrowed. “Has anyone explained anything to you?”

“No,” Ack said solemnly. 

“You said you were in maintenance mode for the last three hundred years?” Kahli asked. “A lot has changed in that time. It must be terrifying for you.”

Ack was quiet.

Kahli leaned back and stretched her legs out. “What can I tell you?” she started. “Three hundred years ago… people refer to that time as the Age of Corruption. It was when technology was at its peak. That’s probably what you remember last.”

Ack nodded, and Kahli continued.

“You were on Altair One, so you missed everything that happened down here,” she said. “The whole world was at war. Weapons of mass destruction were created, destroying entire continents. Chemical and biological weapons created all the monsters and weird creatures we see around the world today. The war nearly wiped out the human population and a lot of the AIs were unable to be controlled. We refer to the two hundred years that followed the Age of Darkness.”

“Jeepers,” Ack said. “That sounds awful.”

Kahli nodded. “Not a good time to be alive,” she agreed. “But, the people that survived were able to form new countries and establish a society again. The Church of Light was formed out of hope that light would return to the world. It was about a hundred years ago when Peach built a machine that was able to dispel the darkness and people called him a hero. We now refer to this day as the Day of the Bright Sun, and every year, we honor his heroic acts.”

“You sound like you memorized that from a text book.”

Kahli grinned. “I guess so,” she said. “All children are taught that.”

Ack nodded. “It is important to keep history alive.”

“You’re in Portia, now,” Kahli explained. “Portia was established by settlers from Ethea over the ancient city Dubei. Portia is part of the Alliance of Free Cities, which is a political alliance between Portia and several other cities. The Free Cities were at war with Duvos over the resources at a ruins in Lucien, but there is a peace treaty in place now.” Kahli hesitated. “However, things have been tense. Duvos has been more and more aggressive against the state of Ethea.”

“Do you think there will be war again?”

“I don’t know,” Kahli said softly. But she smiled. “Anyway. That’s what you missed over the last three hundred years. You must be glad for that, huh?”

“I suppose,” Ack said.

“You know,” Kahli started. “I came to Portia from a place called Barnarock. I didn’t know anyone when I moved here. It was pretty scary for me. I left everything I had ever known behind to, well, start over, I guess.” Her lips twisted to the side. “I’m sure it’s not even remotely close to how you’re feeling, though. But, I mean… everyone here is really nice and welcoming. I know it doesn’t seem that way. You did kind of drop in unexpectedly and freaked everyone out. But once they see that you’re not here to hurt anyone, they’ll be more open to you.”

Ack nodded. “Sam has been kind to me.”

Kahli smiled. “Sam and Arlo and Rem are good people,” she said.

“Are they your friends?”

“Yup.”

“And Arlo? Is he someone important?”

Kahli hesitated. “How do you mean?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know what’s socially correct these days. A lover, perhaps?”

Kahli’s cheeks flushed. “No,” she said quickly. “God, no. Why would you think that?”

“Oh, Jiminy,” he said. “I just assumed, since he seems awfully protective of you.”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. “No,” she muttered. “That’s just part of his job.”

“His job?”

“Arlo is the leader of the Civil Corps branch here in Portia,” she explained. “The Civil Corps is the military of the Free Cities. There’s a branch in each of the cities, and Lucien is home to the Flying Pigs guild which is made up of the best fighters in the Free Cities.” Ack looked as if he were going to say something more about Arlo, so Kahli continued.

“Fun fact,” she said. “Mayor Gale and Russo - another guy here in Portia - were both in the war against Duvos. I heard that Gale saved Russo’s life. And Remington used to serve in the Lucien Civil Corps, but got an arrow in his knee.”

“He did complain about his knee aching,” Ack commented.

“And Sam’s from Lucien,” Kahli continued. “Her father was in the war, too.”

“You know a lot about them. Have you been here long?”

“Few months,” Kahli said. “But, it’s a small town. You learn things pretty quickly.” She paused for a moment in thought, deciding it would be best to keep him talking about anything other than Arlo. “What was life like three hundred years ago? And on Altair One?”

Ack seemed eager to reminisce about his life with his crewmates, and Kahli listened intently as he told her stories of their time off and on the ship. He explained in vivid detail how the world once looked, even from space. There was a twinkle in his eye and he described the view of the world from so far away, and Kahli couldn’t help but wish she were alive in such a vibrant time. Minus the war, of course. It seemed such a shame that all that technology had gone into ruin. Sure, they certainly had enough to get by now, and definitely more than the people that had to live through the Age of Darkness. She supposed she couldn’t complain. And Portia seemed just as beautiful as the world Ack described. Perhaps even more so without the tall skyscrapers. There was something beautiful about the simplicity the world had, now. The rolling hills lush with green grass, the blue ocean waves on a yellow, sandy beach. Life was simpler, but perhaps it was for the better.

*****

Arlo was exhausted when he returned home for the evening. It was one of the rare nights that he would have the place to himself, and all he wanted to do was sleep. His eyes were nearly already closed when he stepped through the door, and if it weren’t for Ack’s greeting, he would have completely missed the sleeping body on the floor beside the cell.

Arlo blinked at Kahli. She was pressed against the corner of the wall and the cell, sleeping soundly. Ack sat beside her, and he looked up at Arlo.

“Welcome back, Mr. Arlo.”

Arlo cleared his throat. “Uh. Hey, Ack.”

“Miss Kahli was keeping me company today,” he explained. “She explained to me what the world is like, now, and I told her stories of my time on Altair One. Perhaps I spoke too much, because she fell asleep here, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her.”

“Sure,” Arlo said. He scratched his head. “Sorry to leave you alone all day.”

“Not to worry,” Ack said cheerily. “You’re a busy man, Mr. Arlo. Kahli speaks very highly of you.”

“She does?”

“Certainly,” he said. “She told me about the Civil Corps and how you’re going to join the Flying Pigs.”

“Ha,” Arlo said. “Well. Maybe. I haven’t exactly had a very good track record.”

“She believes in you,” Ack said. “And I do, too!”

Arlo smiled. “Well, thanks.”

Ack turned his attention to Kahli. He slipped his arm between the bars to poke at her face, and she awoke with a start.

“I wasn’t… working,” she muttered. She blinked in the light, then rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep. “What? Sorry. What?” She looked up and met Arlo’s gaze, then quickly pulled her gaze away. “What time is it?” she muttered.

“Time for you to get some sleep,” Ack said.

Kahli yawned and nodded. “Yeah. Apparently.” She sniffed. “Ah, sorry, Ack. I promised I would keep you company.”

“You did, Miss Kahli,” he assured her. “Thank you for spending the day with me.”

Kahli offered him a tired smile, then pushed herself to her feet. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned again.

“Next time I’ll leave a cot for ya,” Arlo said.

Kahli snorted tiredly. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” She was too tired to commit to her usual snark. “Good night, Ack.” She shoved her hands in her pants pockets and headed for the door.

“Good night, Arlo,” Arlo called after her jokingly.

“Uh huh,” Kahli said, then stepped out into the night, the door closing behind her.

*****

Kahli spent the next few days juggling her work and visiting Ack at the Civil Corps, though she wasn’t always alone. More often than not, Sam joined her, and the three of them chatted and laughed well into the evening.

Arlo, too, had become accustomed to Kahli’s presence, so it was no surprise to find her with Ack when he returned from his patrols. In fact, he looked forward to seeing her there in front of the cell, and felt a sense of relief when he walked in to find her there, giggling with Ack. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite explain; as if her presence brought a sense of comfort. Like she had always been there, waiting for him.

Mayor Gale had expressed his desire to let Ack live in Portia as a free citizen earlier in the day, and Arlo was unsure of how the people of Portia would react to this announcement. He was certain there would be some trouble, especially with the Church of Light. They would need to be careful and likely keep up patrols in town to make sure Ack was safe. Still, despite his uncertainty, as he made his way to the Civil Corps building, he felt that comforting feeling return to him, and he was eager to see Kahli.

When he entered, Arlo glanced over at the cell where Kahli and Ack sat, as they always did. His cheeks warmed slightly, and he crossed his arms and cleared his throat in an attempt to silence his feelings. When she met his gaze, he raised a brow.

“Don’t you ever go home?” he asked.

“Ack gets lonely here, yanno,” Kahli said. “I’m the only one that talks to him.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Ack said. “Mr. Arlo and I talk quite a bit.”

Kahli grinned. “Oh, really?” She turned to Ack. “What do you guys talk about?”

“Well, just the other day -”

“We talk about how annoying you are,” Arlo interrupted. 

“Rude,” Kahli said. “That’s not true, is it, Ack?”

“Well, there was mention that you were spending a lot of time here and -”

“Yeah,” Arlo butted in. “Don’t you have work to do?”

Ack hesitated. “Perhaps I’ve said too much.”

Kahli glanced at Ack. “About what?”

“I think I should stop talking now.”

Kahli stood. “Well,” she said. “I see I am not welcome here anymore. I’m sorry, Ack, but I’m afraid I will not be able to keep you company.”

“Oh, Jiminy,” Ack said in a defeated tone. “Have I caused a disturbance between you both?”

“It’s pretty clear Arlo doesn’t want me hanging around anymore.”

“On the contrary -”

“I don’t care what you do,” Arlo said, turning away.

Kahli hesitated. “Oh,” she started. She turned to Ack and smiled. “Well, he’s right, anyway. I do have some work I should probably be doing.”

“Will you still come and visit?” Ack asked.

Kahli leaned in to whisper to him. “I will when Arlo’s not around.” She grinned and straightened, then met Arlo’s gaze briefly as she headed to the door.

Ack sighed as the door closed behind her. “Miss Kahli is just wonderful,” he said. “Don’t you think, Mr. Arlo?”

Arlo glanced at Ack and smiled. “Yeah.” His brows furrowed. “But stop your yapping!”


	19. Chapter 19

The following evening, Ack was released from custody, and at the fireside meeting, Mayor Gale introduced him to the citizens of Portia.

“Thank you all for joining,” Mayor Gale said. “You’re all here because of the recent discovery of the AI that came out of the crashed ship in the hazardous ruins. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to our newest citizen: Mr. Ack.”

“That’s Ack?” Emily said to Kahli.

“I still think he’s an alien,” Paulie muttered.

“I don’t like this one bit,” Mars said.

“What if he goes crazy?” Lucy asked.

The children, however, did not share in the concerns of the adults.

“He looks so cool!” Toby said.

They all murmured amongst one another, some disapproving Mayor Gale’s decision, while others supported him.

“I hope everyone can welcome Mr. Ack with open arms,” Mayor Gale continued, and the crowd hushed. “Some of you might be apprehensive about having a living relic roaming in our city. I just hope you all give him a chance. Mr. Ack has stated that he wants to work here as a chef. Now, Minister Lee has something more to add.” He turned to Lee, giving him the opportunity to speak.

“The Mayor and I had a long talk over the fate of this AI relic,” Lee said. “I shared with him all of our concerns in allowing such a dangerous relic to live in our city. But the Mayor was adamant that Portia and the Alliance of Free Cities were all founded by outcasts, castaways, and refugees, and that we cannot in our good conscience turn away Mr. Ack. On this point, I agree.” He paused. “However, we did come to an agreement that Mr. Ack will live with the Civil Corps for the foreseeable future, for his own protection and ours. In time, I am hopeful that Mr. Ack will be fully incorporated into our society.”

“Thank you, Minister. Now, if anyone has issues with my decision come and see me and we'll talk it through.”

Most of the crowd dispersed for the night, but Kahli and Emily hung back, and Ack made his way to them.

“Do you think they will accept me here?” Ack asked.

Kahli smiled reassuringly. “I think so,” she said. She turned to Emily. “Right?”

Emily nodded. “Sure. Any friend of Kahli’s is a friend of mine, anyway.”

“We’re friends?” Ack asked Kahli.

Kahli crossed her arms. “Unless you don’t want to be.”

“I would be honored, Miss Kahli.”

“Kahli says you like to cook?”

Ack nodded. “I do! I was a chef.”

“I bet Django would love to pick your brain for some new recipes,” Emily said.

“Listen, ladies.” Arlo stood beside Ack. “Mr. Ack isn’t signing autographs tonight.”

Emily put a hand on her hip and grinned at Arlo. “Jealous of the new guy in town, Arlo?”

Arlo winked at them. “C’mon, Ack. Plenty of time for you to flirt tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, then,” Ack said, and he followed Arlo back to the Civil Corps.

“I can’t believe you’ve been hanging out with a robot all week and not me,” Emily said to her. She brightened. “Oh! Or, was that just a cover up? You were secretly hanging out with Arlo, weren’t you?”

Kahli rolled her eyes, but she didn’t argue with her.

Emily grinned. “Why don’t you just ask him out already?”

“It’s not that simple,” Kahli said. She sighed. “He’s in the Corps. He’s trying to get into the Flying Pigs. And when he does, he’ll have to leave.”

“So, go with him.”

“It’s kind of a job best suited for single people that can up and leave whenever they need to.” She hesitated. “He knows that. He would never put someone through that.”

“But is that what he said?”

“Yes.”

“You talked about it?” Her brows raised.

“Not like that,” Kahli said quickly. “I… kinda talked to Nora about it.”

“Woah, woah, wait. When did this happen?”

“Last week.”

“You gotta give me details,” Emily pressed.

“She just… asked me if we were together.”

“Why would she ask that?”

“Because apparently she asked Arlo out and he rejected her,” Kahli blurted out.

“Woah.” Emily turned this over for a moment. “Why would he reject her?”

Kahli shrugged. “I guess that’s what Nora wanted to know. She thought we were… a thing, so that was why. But then went on to say that there probably wouldn’t have been a future for them, anyway, because of the Flying Pigs and all. So, if he rejected her for that reason, obviously that would apply to me, too.” The worlds felt like they all tumbled out of her mouth and she sucked in a breath and blew her hair out of her face.

Emily exhaled loudly. “Well, that’s shitty. I thought you guys would be cute together.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kahli said. She turned away and walked out of the plaza, but Emily kept at her side.

Emily frowned. “Yes it does. You like him.”

“Welcome to life, Em. Nobody gets what they want.”

“Well, you’re a downer.”

“I’m just being honest with myself,” she said. “Why get my hopes up for something that’ll never happen?”

“So, what? You’re just going to be an old maid living alone here forever?”

“No,” Kahli started. “When I’m done here, maybe I’ll do some traveling.” She shrugged. “I dunno.”

Emily’s gaze narrowed on her. “When you’re done here?”

“Not for nothing, but there isn’t really anything here for me. I only came because my father left me the workshop. And I don’t even know why I bothered with that.”

“Wow,” Emily muttered. “You have friends here, you know.”

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I just mean,” Kahli started, growing flustered. “I’ve never had much of a purpose. I’ve never done anything with my life. I have no skills. I have nothing going for me. I don’t even have a boyfriend. I’ll probably die alone. I’m really just a waste of space if we’re being honest.”

Emily frowned. “Is that really what you think?”

Kahli sighed. “No. I dunno. Maybe.”

“You’ve helped everyone here a lot since you came here,” Emily said. “I mean, you built a damn bridge your first week.”

“If I didn’t, Higgins would have,” Kahli pointed out.

“You basically saved the tree farm. Higgins wouldn’t have done that.”

Kahli shrugged. “Someone would have stepped up.”

“Fine. But don’t tell me you don’t have any skills. You’ve taught yourself so much since you came here. That’s something.”

“Maybe. But it’s not how I want to spend my life.”

“Then what do you want?”

It was a loaded question. One Kahli had never really had an answer too. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess, really, I just… wanted someone who wouldn’t walk out on me.”

“And you want to walk out on us.”

Kahli frowned. “Well, when you put it that way…”

They stopped in front of her house and Emily pushed herself up onto the fence.

“Look,” Emily started. “Maybe Arlo’s not the one. Whatever. Not a big deal. Plenty of fish in the sea, right?”

“I’ll never find them if I hide out here,” Kahli said.

Emily rolled her eyes. “Maybe,” she said. “I just think you’re stuck in this runaway mindset of yours. Why don’t you wait it out and see what happens? People come to Portia all the time, and people leave Portia. You could have a life here if you wanted to.”

“What if I find something better? Are you really going to feel betrayed if I left?”

Emily frowned. “We’re friends. Of course I’d be upset if you left. But… it would be easier if I knew you were leaving to follow your dreams or something. If I knew you were going to be happy. Not if you’re just afraid of sticking around and decide to wander around aimlessly for the rest of your life.”

Kahli crossed her arms, prepared with a stubborn remark. “What if wandering around aimlessly makes me happy?”

The corner of Emily’s lips pulled up in a crooked smile. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“I’ve been told that once or twice.”

“Can you just hang around here a little while longer?” She smiled. “I like having you around.” She shrugged. “And you’re right. Maybe it is just a crush and it’ll pass. So, let it pass and move on, right?”

“Maybe,” Kahli said.

Emily hopped off the fence and pointed at her. “Don’t make me recruit the Corps to post watch on this place,” she said, narrowing her gaze on Kahli. “Don’t need you running off in the middle of the night. I will hunt you down if you do.”

“It would be that adventure you’ve always wanted.”

Emily considered this, her head cocked slightly. “True. But I can’t do it right now. Granny needs my help around here. So, if you want to take off, can you at least wait a little bit?”

Kahli grinned. “Deal.”


	20. Chapter 20

Kahli found herself back at the Commerce Guild the next morning, and Antoine was leaning against his desk, watching her as she reviewed the commissions.

“Big town meeting tonight,” he said casually.

Kahli met his gaze and raised a brow. “Oh?”

“Mayor Gale asked me to tell you to be there.”

Kahli frowned. “That usually means he has some impossible job for me.”

Antoine smiled slyly. “Maybe.”

Kahli narrowed her gaze on him. “What do you know?”

He pushed himself up onto the desk. “You’ll find out tonight, huh?”

Kahli groaned. “Why is it always me? I mean, that’s not exactly fair. What about the other builders?”

“Mayor Gale likes you.”

She frowned. “That’s not a good reason.”

Antoine rolled his eyes. “Everyone likes you,” he said. He smirked. “Some more than others.”

Kahli hesitated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Antoine looked at his nails, disinterested. “Oh, you know how it is,” he said. “Rumors spread quickly in a small town like Portia.”

Kahli crossed her arms. “And what rumors are you spreading?”

“I swear, it wasn’t me,” he said defensively. He met her gaze. “Honest.” He picked up a nail file and began filing his nails. “People just notice things, yanno?” He glanced at her. “Or lack of things.”

“Lack of things?” Kahli repeated.

Antoine shrugged. “Sure.” He paused. “For example, Nora’s still pretty new around here, too. So people have had their eye on her. And they notice who she’s been socializing with. And who she has stopped socializing with.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I think you know what I’m talking about.”

“No one knows I like Arlo but you and Emily and Sonia!”

“Who said anything about Arlo?”

“Shut up, Antoine!”

Antoine giggled. “Kahli, you make it so easy.”

“He doesn’t like me,” she muttered.

Antoine shrugged. “People see things.”

“Yeah and they saw him and Nora hanging around.”

“Guess he’s just into strange.”

Kahli blew her hair out of her face in exhaustion. Without another word, she turned and made her way to the door.

“See you tonight at the meeting, right?” Antoine called after her.

She cursed under her breath. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to whatever this project was. But on the plus side, at least Mayor Gale paid well.

Kahli busied herself with the animals for the majority of the day and even took a break to visit with Sophie, who, of course, had a fresh pie waiting for her. By evening, she was back at the plaza where Gale was waiting to begin the meeting.

“Welcome, everyone,” he said cheerfully. “Nice Sunday evening we're having. I've got some wonderful news to share today. The city state of Sandrock and our city of Portia have agreed to build a road through the Eufaula Desert between our cities. This will cut travel time by over half. The governments of both cities will fund this road together. We have sufficient reserves built up during my time in office, so funding isn't in question. This is a part of a grand plan that I've been hatching over the past year to make Portia a center for commerce and travel in the Free Cities.”

Gale turned to the young man to his left.

“Here with me is Mint, an engineer from Vega 5. He'll be spearheading the building of the road. Our builders in Portia and builders from Sandrock will assist him in bringing this to fruition. We'll have a meeting tomorrow to discuss how we're going to go about this business. That’s all for now.”

As the crowd dispersed, Gale and Mint stepped down into the plaza and approached Kahli and Higgins, who had quickly appeared at her side, eager to get his hands on any work they offered him.

“Mint, I’d like to introduce you to our two best builders, Kahli and Higgins.” Gale turned to them and grinned. “We have a lot to discuss still, but I expect to see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, not to worry,” Higgins said. “Portia’s number one builder will be there.”

“Yes, I will, thank you, secretary.” Kahli grinned at Higgins who was visibly fuming. She turned to Mint. “He’s a nice guy, but not quite all there. If you need to get in touch with me, I suggest speaking to me directly.”

Mint laughed and Higgins stomped his foot. He pointed at Kahli as he backed away. “Keep talking,” he sneered. “A sharp tongue won’t get you anywhere in this business.”

“Alright, alright,” Gale said, but Higgins was already out of earshot, storming away from them. He turned an apologetic glance to Kahli and smiled. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

*****

The next morning, Kahli stood in Mayor Gale’s office with him, Mint, Higgins, and Albert. Gale wasted no time in their meeting, speaking excitedly as soon as Kahli showed up the next morning.

“I'll start by emphasizing how important this is to us,” he said. “Once we connect Portia to Sandrock with the new road, we become the de facto transportation hub between Vega 5, Sandrock, and Walnut Groove. That's an envious place to be in!”

He gestured to Mint in introduction. “I’ve known Mint here since he was a pup. He's one of the best engineers around and will be heading this project. Mint, if you please.”

Mint smiled to Gale in thanks, then spoke to the rest of them. “Hey everyone. Let me give you an outline of our objectives for the Portia part of the project. Broadly speaking, there are two phases to this project. In phase one, we'll start the road from Sandrock as the terrain there is easier for construction. During that time, we'll need the builders here to complete a bridge across the Portia River connecting to the desert. Once the bridge is complete, we'll move on to phase two, which is the construction of a rest stop along the southern banks of the Portia River.

“We're going to call this new town South Block,” Mayor Gale said. “Not too original, I know, but it'll be a place where all the travelers can rest and enjoy the view of Portia.”

“We're working with Albert’s company, A&G Construction, to build the bridge and South Block,” Mint explained. “I'll be leaving for Sandrock in a couple of days. Albert will be in charge of the local plans after that.”

“Right-o,” Albert said proudly. “I've pretty much worked with everyone in this room before, so I'd say this will go as smooth as a water troll's butt. As for the builders, I'll post all the bridge commissions in the Commerce Guild starting tomorrow.”

“Why don't you just give me all the commissions,” Higgins said. “I can do it all.”

Albert rolled his eyes. “I keep on tellin' you mate, there's more to life than just work. And that would be against guild rules, anyways.”

Higgins had a permanent sneer on his face, it seemed, but he didn’t bother to argue more about it with Albert. “Is that all then?” he said. “Some of us have work to do.”

Kahli bit her tongue and watched as he left Mayor Gale’s office. Gale sighed and shook his head.

“Can we try to work together on this?” he muttered.

Kahli offered him a sympathetic smile. “You know I always play nice,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s okay to play dirty once in a while,” Albert said, and he winked at her.

Kahli rolled her eyes, then turned to Mint. “I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise,” Mint said with a smile.

Kahli said goodbye, then quickly left Mayor Gale’s office. She stepped out into the plaza which seemed to steam in waves in the hot, summer sun. What she would give for a refreshing swim.

It seemed her and Emily were on the same wavelength, because when she got home, she found Emily sitting on the fence waiting for her. She had two towels on her arm, and she hopped down when she saw Kahli, grinning ear to ear.

“You didn’t pick up some work, did you?”

Kahli shook her head.

Emily tossed one of the towels at her. “Good. It’s too damn hot for that shit. We’re going swimming.”

“You read my mind,” Kahli said.

She quickly changed into her only bathing suit, then got Star from the barn. She hopped on bareback, helped Emily up behind her, and they rode to the river where Star eagerly splashed in. The mare nickered happily, tossing her head and splashing in the cool water, and Kahli and Emily jumped off her back and into the water as well.

Kahli splashed water at Star, and Star squealed and flapped her lips excitedly when the water hit her muzzle. They took turns climbing onto the mare’s back and cannonballing in, challenging each other to see who could make the biggest splash.

They were so wrapped up in their refreshing swim that they almost missed the three Civil Corps officers trotting down the length of the river, and Sam’s excited cheers grabbed their attention as she hurried toward them.

“What the hell, guys?” Sam barked at them. “I want to go swimming, too!”

“You’re working,” Remington reminded her.

Kahli stuck her tongue out at her.

Sam turned to Arlo. “It’s like a hundred degrees out here,” Sam whined. “The horses need a break!”

Arlo sighed. “Whatever,” he said. “But take -”

It didn’t matter what he was going to say next, because Sam was already commanding her horse forward, and the horse eagerly stepped into the water. The remaining two horses, however, decided that they could not be left on the shore in the sweltering heat, and they leapt forward unexpectedly, catching both Remington and Arlo by surprise as they galloped into the river.

“Oh, what the hell,” Remington muttered. He tried to lift his legs out of the water, but he was already soaked. He slouched in his saddle, defeated.

“Sam!” Arlo scolded, but Sam wasn’t listening, already in the water and slipping off her horse’s tack to allow her to cool off.

“Don’t look at me,” Sam said. “You’re the ones that have no control of your horses!”

Arlo slipped off his horse, splashing down into the river, though he did not look annoyed. Kahli swam to Spacer while Arlo worked at removing the saddle.

“Is Arlo working you too hard, my little Space-Man?” Kahli cooed to the horse. She stroked his muzzle and he let out a content sigh. “You deserve a good swim, yes you do. You're a good little horse, aren’t ya, Spacer?”

“You know,” Arlo started. “He’s gotten fat since you got here. He could use the workout.”

Kahli grinned. “Does Arlo not give you enough treats? My poor boy, you’re going to wither away, aren’t you?”

Arlo removed Spacer’s bridle, then pushed the horse away from them. He trotted through the water, happily shaking his head.

“You’re a bad influence,” Arlo said to Kahli. “Sam used to always put her job first.”

Kahli scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please. She still does. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.”

Arlo crossed his arms. “I’m not. But I don’t appreciate being soaked.”

Kahli grinned, then lowered herself until the water was just under her nose. She held her gaze on Arlo.

“What are you doing?” Arlo asked, hesitant.

Kahli sucked in a breath and submerged herself completely underwater. She reached forward quickly and pulled Arlo’s legs out from under him, causing him to fall into the water with a yelp. They surfaced at the same time, much closer to one another than either were expecting, and their gazes met.

“Ha!” Sam barked out. “That’ll show ya, Arlo!”

Kahli swam back quickly, putting space between them, and pulled her gaze away. Her cheeks were pink, though she couldn’t be sure if that was because of Arlo or simply from being in the sun a little too long.


	21. Chapter 21

The construction of the bridge across the Portia River was a far more challenging project than the bridge Kahli built to Amber Island that spring. It was much bigger in every aspect - wider to account for heavy vehicle travel, and thus needed to be able to hold a heavier load than standard foot traffic. But by now, Kahli was more than familiar with the ins and outs of her workshop and all the machines she needed to use. She could have welded the parts she needed with her eyes closed; of course, she didn’t.

Her tan suffered severely in the following weeks as she spent more and more time inside her workshop. The heat inside was no better than the summer heat, and she took to spending more time at the river to cool off after a long day’s work. It had become a new routine: she spent the mornings working on all the parts she would need for the bridge, then hit the river with Emily before heading to the Round Table for the evening for dinner and drinks.

When the majority of the parts she needed were made, Star helped her transport the pieces to the construction site where she worked with the other builders to begin construction on the bridge. The project took the majority of the summer to complete, and though the days were still warm, the evening air was cool with the promise of the approaching autumn.

It was late in the afternoon, and Kahli rode Star to the bridge to admire their work. Admittedly, she was impressed with herself and how far she had come in the six months she had been in Portia, and she felt a sense of pride in being able to say she helped build the massive bridge.

“Look at that.” Arlo and Spacer trotted up to them. Arlo admired the bridge and whistled. “And I didn’t even have to help you with this one.”

“I know,” Kahli said. “I’m impressed with myself, too.”

Arlo laughed. “I never doubted you.”

Kahli’s gaze narrowed on him playfully. “I think you did.”

“You only doubted yourself.”

“Well,” Kahli started. “I guess I redeemed myself.” She sighed as she looked out over the bridge. “Guess being a builder was in my blood after all.”

“Not what you planned?”

Kahli shrugged. “I didn’t really have much of a plan, to be honest,” she admitted. “Guess this is better than nothing.”

“If you could do anything, what would you do? Anything at all?”

“I never thought about it.”

“So, think about it.”

Kahli blew her hair out of her face. “I guess at one point… I always thought I’d go on some adventure.” She laughed lightly. “But doesn’t everyone think that at some point? Especially as a child. You read all these stories and it sounds so exciting. And… that’s what my father left me to do. So. I guess I always thought we could be some father-daughter team or something. I dunno.” She met Arlo’s gaze. “We don’t all know how we want to spend our lives.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Arlo said. “But, you know, I don’t think you’re far off. It was an adventure to come here, wasn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Kahli said. She grinned. “I have encountered some wild shit since I’ve been here. More than I ever would have in Barnarock.” She sighed heavily. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken on a hoard of bandirats. I miss those days.”

Arlo laughed. “Well, to be honest, I’m glad you’re keeping out of trouble. Just means less work for me.”

“I’m so sorry to be an inconvenience to you,” Kahli said.

“You’re never an inconvenience,” Arlo said. “It’s just nice not to have to worry about you.”

“I’ll try to make your job easier for you, then.”

“It’s not a job.”

Kahli glanced at him, hesitant. “Well, sure,” she said quickly. “That’s what friends do, I guess.” She pulled Star around and kicked her forward. “Or something. Whatever.”

Arlo pushed Spacer into a trot to catch up to her.

“Anyway,” Kahli continued. “Not a damsel in distress. I’ve always been pretty good at taking care of myself, so don’t you worry.”

“But you don’t have to, you know,” he said. “You’re not alone here.”

“I know.” She hesitated; she desperately wanted to change the subject. “So, why’d you turn Nora down?” She winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Not a good change of subject. She didn’t look at Arlo, but sensed he was looking at her, quiet for far too long.

“Nora told me,” she explained quickly, trying to fill the silence. “And I felt bad, like maybe I gave you bad advice or something. But I was just going off how you seemed to feel, so, you know.”

“No,” Arlo said. “You were right. I didn’t really have feelings for her. It wouldn’t have been right to lead her on like that.”

“Sure,” Kahli said. “But, you know, not everything has to be so serious. Nothing wrong with having some fun.”

Arlo smiled. “I don’t think she’s that kind of girl,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Kahli agreed. “I don’t think so, either.” She paused. “Anyway. I’m probably the last person you should come to for relationship advice. Just saying.”

“You’re probably right,” Arlo commented. “I should be asking Albert.”

Kahli made a face, her nose wrinkling slightly, and Arlo laughed.

“I take it back,” she said. “He’s the last person you should go to. But I’m a close second.”

They had stopped in front of her house, and Arlo dismounted first.

“I know you’re not a damsel,” he said, then reached a hand up to her. “But at least let me be a gentleman once in a while.”

Kahli’s cheeks warmed and she rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said. If it wasn’t for his gallant offer, she probably would have been totally fine, dismounting as gracefully as she always did. But instead, her knees had grown weak, and she only stumbled off her horse and fell into his arms when her feet hit the ground. She muttered to herself as Arlo lifted her back up, then she turned her gaze up and met Arlo’s. She was very aware of how close they had become, and her heart fluttered in her chest. When she spoke, her voice was just a whisper.

“I, um, should… go. Inside.” She held his gaze for a moment, then pulled away and cleared her throat. “Thanks for, uh, walking me home.”

“Yeah,” Arlo said, turning his gaze to the ground. “Of course.” 

Kahli fumbled with the reins, leading Star toward the barn. She looked over her shoulder and met Arlo’s gaze once more and smiled. “Goodnight.”

*****

Remington was seated on the couch when Arlo walked in. He was wiping his sword down with a cloth, examining it in the light for a moment before greeting Arlo with a grunted ‘hey.’ He set the sword town on the table for a moment, then met Arlo’s gaze.

“You missed the sign-up period,” Remington said. “You were supposed to leave in a couple weeks for Lucien. What happened?”

Arlo shrugged, still standing by the door. “It slipped my mind.”

Remington scoffed, then turned back to his sword. He picked it up and began sharpening it, not looking up when he spoke.

“Can I offer you an outside perspective?” He did not wait for Arlo’s answer. “You’re good enough for the Flying Pigs, Arlo. You could pass the tests if you really wanted to. But I don’t think you want to.” He paused. “I don’t think that’s really what you want in life. It was just a backup plan. But you’ve been holding out, hoping and waiting for something better. And I think it finally came along. So, what’s holding you back?”

Arlo said nothing, but averted his gaze. He sat on the other couch and stared at the floor.

Remington continued. “The sooner you start being honest with yourself, the happier you’ll be,” he said. “There’s a hole in your life that the Flying Pigs won’t fill. I think you see that, now. Maybe it took a little longer than you expected, but she’s here, now. Why are you running from that? Because you think it will be easier?” He looked up at Arlo. “I know you, Arlo. You want to do the right thing. And you will. It won’t be that difficult. You won’t have to give up anything if it's the right thing. You’ll see.”

Remington set the sword on the table and stood. He stretched his arms and cracked his back. “Take it from me. I have a little experience in this department.” He shrugged. “Or don’t. I can’t tell ya what to do. But for what it’s worth, I think you already know the answers. You don’t have to be afraid of that.”

Arlo leaned back against the couch and stared into space. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. Remington returned his sword to its sheath, then turned to head into his room.

“Rem,” Arlo started. He looked up and met his gaze. “Thanks.”


	22. Chapter 22

With the bridge to the desert complete, development was able to begin at South Block, the new small town that would act as a rest stop between Portia and Sandrock. Mint suspected construction would take the rest of the autumn, and it wouldn’t be until South Block was complete before they could work on connecting the two roads, which would require drilling a tunnel through the Eufaula Range. By their estimates, that project would take them through the winter with hopes of being opened by spring.

Kahli would have plenty of work to get her through the rest of the year, but with the bridge completed, she opted to give herself a break for the next few days, entranced with the autumn beauty of Portia. She watched as the trees changed colors, igniting the evening skyline in fiery colors of reds and oranges and yellows. There was a whisper of winter on the breeze, causing goosebumps to trail up her arms. She sat on the fence and watched the sighing wind stir the trees and pull a few leaves with it. The leaves danced and swayed until they settled on the ground to dry and crunch under foot.

The day had been quiet. She didn’t see Emily walking into town like she often did, nor did she see Arlo, Sam, or Remington out on patrol. But she didn’t pay much attention, either. She tended to the animals, taking her time with her usual chores and letting her thoughts wander as they did. These days, she thought less about her father, which would have been a relief if her mind was troubled by thoughts of Arlo instead.

She couldn’t help but to analyze every moment together, particularly the moment between them a few nights ago. Or, was it even a moment at all? She could have been reading too much into it. Still, she couldn’t help but to feel that perhaps Arlo felt similarly. It couldn’t be all in her head. She hadn’t made it up. He held at her - gazed at her - for far too long. Of course, it could have only been a second that felt endless to her. It was all too confusing, and she didn’t exactly have a lot of experience in the romance department. Hell, he could have written her a sonnet and serenaded her and she still wouldn’t have had a damn clue. How many times could someone have been flirting with her without her realization?

But that was obviously a ridiculous thought as well. Who would want to flirt with her? She was so incredibly ordinary and down right boring. She never went out, she didn’t have many friends. Her Friday nights basically consisted of chaperoning - and from time to time, completely dominating - her aunt’s poker games. She didn’t think she was unattractive, her black hair long and flattering, but she didn’t think she stood out in a crowd, either. Especially not in her likely poor fashion choice of flannel shirts and ripped jeans. She couldn’t even remember the last time she did anything to style her hair. It was just so much easier to keep it pulled back in a ponytail, out of her face while she worked.

Somewhere in the midst of her wandering mind, Kahli had opted to take a walk, though the decision seemed to be made automatically, without her knowledge. She was only brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a crunchy leaf, and she let out an audible sigh, stray strands of hair fluttering away from her face as she did so. She remembered why she preferred to keep busy. She hated being stuck in her own mind.

She continued her walk across the country side, passing the tree farm and heading up the western plateau as the sun set, the last of its rays dipping beneath the horizon. She sat on the grass, leaned back on her hands, and looked up at the darkening sky. One by one, the stars made their appearance, and once more, she was brought back to Barnarock. She could still hear the laughter of the woman in the house as they dealt the next hand. Ice clinked against glasses as their drinks were topped off. And Kahli sat on the back deck, hugging her knees to her chest and listening to the familiar songs of crickets and the lone bug zapper.

Those nights were much warmer and dryer, even compared to Portia’s summer. And though she was amazed by the beauty of fall and excited for the approaching winter, she felt at home during those hot nights. She closed her eyes and sighed softly.

She was so wrapped up in her daydream that she didn’t even hear the footsteps that approached her. She jumped when she heard Arlo’s voice, and he smiled at her apologetically.

“Is this seat taken?”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. “All yours,” she said.

Arlo sat beside her and turned his gaze to the night sky. “Whatcha doing up here?”

“I dunno,” Kahli said with a sigh. “Just wanted to get away.”

“Oh.” Arlo paused. “I can go…”

Kahli smiled and shook her head. “Nah. It’s cool.”

Arlo watched her. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Kahli hesitated. “I’m just… contemplating life. Thinking about home.” She paused and her brows furrowed. “It’s been weird, you know? I get a random letter from my father giving me this place, and at first, I wanted nothing to do with it or anything that had to do with him. But for some reason, I came here anyway. I dunno, I guess I thought maybe I would find answers here or something.”

“Did you?”

Kahli laughed. “No. Of course not. Life isn’t all sprinkles and butterflies. It’s a confusing, stupid mess.” She shrugged. “I thought at the very least, it would be a chance for me to start over. Try to make something of myself or… something. But the truth is, I don’t really feel any better. I just… I don’t know what I want. Or, well, I kind of do. But it’s not something that’s easily attainable. More of an idea, I guess. Not something I can just go and take.” She sighed heavily. “Well, whatever. Sorry. Didn’t mean to bum you out or anything.”

“You didn’t,” Arlo said softly. He pulled his gaze away. “I know what you mean.”

Kahli glanced at him. “You do?”

Arlo shrugged. “Yeah.”

“You seem like you have it all together.”

Arlo laughed. “Apparently I don’t.”

“Apparently?”

“I guess I haven’t been very honest with myself, either.”

“Oh.” Kahli hesitated. “Chasing after something unattainable, too?”

“I dunno,” he replied. “More like running away from something I could have, I guess.”

“That’s cryptic.”

Arlo smiled. “You started it.”

Kahli pulled her legs to her chest. “I just didn’t want to sound too depressing.”

“We don’t have to talk about it.” He paused. “But I’ll listen if you want to.”

Kahli hesitated. “I think I just need to break this habit I’ve fallen into,” she said. “I’ve been so mad at my father for walking out on me, and in the end, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I left home to come here and try to start over, and within the first day, I was already planning my escape.” She paused. “And even now, it feels like I’m still stuck in this cycle. And someday I’ll leave it all behind and do it all over again. And I’ll never get anywhere like that.”

“You plan to leave Portia?”

“Not really,” Kahli said. “I mean. I guess I did. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to be like my father. But I… don’t want to be walked out on again.” She was quiet for a moment. “He left when I needed him most. My mother died, he was gone, I left my home to be raised by someone else. Things were just always taken away from me in one way or another. I don’t want to keep living that kind of life. I just want stability, I guess. And that’s a really hard thing to find.” She pulled her shoulders back and smiled. “But, I suppose that starts by not running away all the time. So, I’ll probably stick around here.”

Arlo looked out over the horizon. “Well,” he started. “For what it’s worth, I’d like you to stick around.”

Kahli laughed. “I don’t think you get a say in the matter,” she said. “You of all people are the least likely to stick around. You’ll get into the Flying Pigs and we’ll never see you again.”

Arlo looked down at his feet. “I’ve been thinking… of sticking around here.”

Kahli glanced at him. “Why would you want to do that? Joining the Flying Pigs is all you’ve ever wanted to do.”

“I thought so,” he said.

“What changed your mind?”

“I… just started being honest with myself, too.”

Kahli frowned. “That’s a cheap answer. I spilled my life story to you.”

Arlo smiled. “Sorry.”

“You’re really gonna leave me hanging like that?”

Arlo shrugged.

“That’s just rude.”

“It’s… different.”

“How is it different?”

“Because.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Yes it is.”

“It’s cheap. I thought we were friends.”

Arlo did not respond.

“I guess not,” Kahli said slowly. “I take back everything I said, then. You are not privileged to know my inner turmoils. Just pretend I never said anything.”

Arlo bit his lip. “I changed my mind because of you.”

Kahli stared at him. “What?” She had to force the word out. Her stomach twisted anxiously as she waited for him to say more.

“I changed my mind because of you,” he repeated. “Because… I fell in love with you.”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. Her heart raced and she fought to quiet her mind, full of only more questions.

“No,” she muttered, and she shook her head. “No. Wait. I mean. You can’t just, like, give up your dreams like that. That’s not… you can’t. I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”

“That’s why I didn’t want to say anything,” he said. “I didn’t want you to think that.”

“Obviously I’m going to think that.”

Arlo shook his head. “The truth is, the Flying Pigs wasn’t really what I wanted,” he said. “It was just… an excuse. Because it seemed like I couldn’t have anything else.” He hesitated. “And then I met you. And… I didn’t care about that anymore. I just… want to be with you.”

Kahli’s heart raced faster, now more panicked than anything else. “I…” she started. “I can’t… I can’t be with someone who… will leave…” Her chest tightened, cutting off her words completely.

“I know,” Arlo said. He took her hand. “Kahli, I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise.”

Kahli shook her head and pulled her hand away. “No. It can’t… we can’t…”

Arlo’s hand dropped to the ground. “We can’t?”

“You’ll leave,” she choked out. “It’s what you’ve planned to do. I can’t be what holds you back.”

“You’re not,” Arlo hissed. “This is my decision. I only wanted that because I never saw any other life for myself. You changed everything, Kahli. I’ll do anything to be with you, to stay with you. To show you that good things stick around. I would never put you through that pain. If I thought for a second that I would have to leave you, I wouldn’t have said anything at all.”

Kahli stared at the ground. “Arlo,” she started softly. “I… didn’t get to tell you. I… fell in love with you, too.” She met his gaze. “And… it’s… kind of terrifying.” She hesitated. “But… I trust you. I’ll stick around for you, too.”

Arlo pressed his hand to her cheek, and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. But just as quickly as it started, it ended, and he pulled back, hesitant. He met her gaze, and Kahli moved a hand to his chest. Her fingers twisted into his shirt, pulling him toward her, and their lips met once more. Their kiss was deeper this time, and she moved her lips eagerly against his. They kissed passionately under the starlit sky for what felt like hours, but Kahli paid no mind to the time that passed. She didn’t want the moment to end. She didn’t want to be away from him, comforted by the way he held her. She didn’t want him to leave.

But still, the moment had to come to an end, and though their lips finally parted from one another, Arlo hesitated, his lips still hovering above hers. She met his gaze and her breath caught in her throat. A light breeze blew her hair around her, and she realized then how cool the air had gotten as goosebumps trailed her arms. Noticing her chill, Arlo wrapped his jacket around her and pushed her hair out of her face gently. He moved in slowly, his lips hovering above hers once more, then pressed in for a delicate kiss before pulling away again. He met her gaze, smiled, then stood, offering his hand to her and pulling her to her feet.

Kahli cleared her throat as they walked. “So, what, did you follow me up here for that?”

Arlo smiled. “No.” He hesitated. “But I was looking for you.”

Kahli’s cheeks warmed. “Really?”

“Yes. You weren’t easy to find.”

Kahli laughed lightly. “Guess you were pretty determined.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Kahli shook her head. “Light, no. Honestly. I was starting to think it was all in my damn head.” She pulled his jacket tighter around him and closed her eyes. It smelled like him.

“Oh, me too.”

“Wow,” Kahli said. “We’re pretty pathetic. Look, I warned you I was bad at this stuff. But I definitely thought you were smoother than that.”

“Did you?”

Kahli shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “I don’t really pick up on these kinda things. I’m pretty oblivious if we’re being honest.”

“Well, in that case.” Arlo pulled her toward him and kissed her deeply once more. When he pulled away, he met her gaze. “Was that clear enough for you?”

Kahli grinned and blushed and pulled her gaze away. “No,” she said. “I didn’t quite -”

But before she could finish, his lips were on hers again, and she pressed into him, deepening their kiss. It was a while more before they pulled away again, and Kahli averted her gaze, her cheeks flush.

“Hm.” She paused, as if in thought. “We might need to come back to this tomorrow,” she said. “I’m still not too sure.” She turned away from him, grinning over her shoulder. They walked the rest of the length of the road, stopping in front of her house.

“Well,” Kahli started. “This is me.” She hesitated and bit her lower lip. “Uh. Thanks for walking me home.” She paused, unsure of where to go from there. “Um. So. Are you going to charge me for this escort?”

“It’s on the house.”

“Phew. Cool. Cool.” She hesitated again. “Uh. So. Alright. Cool. Thanks. This was. Nice.”

“Well, if you don’t need my services, I should get going. Early morning.”

“Right,” Kahli said quickly. “Yes. Yup. Gotcha. Cool. Alright. I, uh, guess I’ll see ya later.”

“That could be arranged.”

She blushed and turned away from him, hurrying to the door. She opened it, then hesitated, meeting his gaze over her shoulder, and smiled.

“Goodnight.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya! so, i wanted to add a little note to the end of chapter 22, but it was getting kinda late and i was sort of hurrying to get it posted since it had been a few days since an update. i know ive generally been updating pretty quickly, and i'm trying to keep that up just because 1) when you're furloughed there's tons of time to write and 2) i know reading my favorite fics and webtoons and everything else has really helped me get thru this pandemic, so i'm hoping to provide that to my readers as well in hopes of helping ya'll stay sane! 
> 
> so, i just wanted to say hi, hello, i see ya'll out there and i so appreciate you and i'm doing my very bestest to keep updating this fic (and some of my other wips i need to get going on again... lol) i've been seeing your comments and some regular readers and it just makes my heart soar honestly. i know i dont respond to comments normally (and i never really know if i should??? do people do that? idk lmao) but i do try to reach out now and then with a note like this to say that you're comments do NOT go unread!! secret time: i save all the email notifications i get of all these nice comments because this is the only place where i'll ever be able to semi-accomplish my dream as a writer xD but in all seriousness, i truly love my readers. i love seeing the same names pop up, and honestly, i write for you guys. and i get generally concerned when i dont hear from my regulars in a while lol. your support by simply just reading my dumb fics means the world to me and thats why probably part of why i write so much! because i know you guys (or i hope, anyway!) will enjoy them and even though i'll always love to write, it just means so much to have people actually read this stuff!
> 
> so, anyway, i'm rambling now. but i just really wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart <3 i love you all and i hope you are all safe and healthy!   
> i'm also on tumblr (which i should really update) and i totally welcome all messages if you wanna talk or just pop in and say hi <3 <3 https://katedoesfics.tumblr.com/  
> i know these are weird times and being stuck at home can be rough some days, so i'm always here for anyone who just wants to chat :) 
> 
> as a side note, i almost ended chapter 22 with them hooking up - wink wink - but that didn't seem like something arlo would do? i mean, wait three days, man. that's the respectful thing lmao xD and arlo is #gallant knight in shining armor so. it made more sense to end it the way i did, i think  
> side side note; the majority of kahli's awkwardness is probably more of my own awkwardness like "WTF HOW DO I END THIS MOMENT LETS JUST RUIN IN WITH WEIRDNESS" and Kahli has just become a beacon my own weird self apparently. (because when i wrote the original ending to chapter 22, kahli was like a teasing deviant little minx and was basically like come man enter my bed chambers ((but not so weirdly)) and i was like nah she's gotta butcher this moment a little bit fam)

Kahli awoke to multiple tinging sounds. She grumbled to herself as she turned over, blinking in the sunlight as her eyes opened. It took her a moment before she realized the sound was coming from her window. She trudged over with a yawn and peered out to see Emily tossing pebbles at it. She opened it and leaned out, glaring at her through the messy locks that fell over her eyes like she was a possessed girl in an old horror film. Emily had to stifle back a laugh.

“You gonna sleep all day?”

Kahli blinked at her, unaware of just how late in the morning it was. She could tell by Star’s impatient nicker, however, that it was well past breakfast time for the animals.

“Maybe,” Kahli grunted.

“Come on. I’ll buy you coffee.”

Kahli grunted in response. “Two minutes.” She closed the window and dressed, then regarded herself in the mirror with a blank expression. She sighed and quickly ran a brush through her hair. She moved to pull it back, then decided against it, and let her hair fall around her shoulders. She looked around her room for a jacket, then saw Arlo’s still on her bed.

“Oh, fuck,” she muttered to herself. She moved to the side of the bed, picking it up and holding it to her nose. She inhaled, sighed, and smiled, then threw it on quickly before trotting down the stairs and meeting Emily by the front door.

“What a transformation,” Emily laughed. “Hungry?”

“Not as hungry as Star,” Kahli said as the horse kicked at the barn door impatiently.

“You take care of her,” Emily said. “I’ll throw some grain for the girls.”

Within twenty minutes, the animals were fed, and Kahli and Emily headed to the Round Table, sitting at the bar and making conversation with Sonia and Django.

“You’re usually an early riser,” Emily commented. She put her chin in her hand and grinned at her. “Late night?”

Kahli hesitated, then shrugged. She averted her gaze and sipped at her coffee. “I dunno. Not really.”

Emily turned her eyes to the ceiling and scoffed.

“Do you have something you want to say?” Kahli sneered, glancing at her.

Emily shrugged. “I dunno. Do I?”

Kahli sighed. “I’m too tired.”

“I’m asking you! I hadn’t seen you at all yesterday. I’m just curious as to what was more important than hanging out with your best friend.”

Kahli didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell them what had happened. She wasn’t even sure what had happened. What did this mean for her and Arlo, anyway? Were they a thing? Or was it just a one time… thing? What kind of thing was this thing supposed to be?

To her relief, the door opened, and Emily turned her attention to Sam as she strode in.

“There she is,” Sam said, grinning at Kahli. She moved toward the bar, pausing for a moment. “Oh, that looks like Arlo’s jacket.” She took the seat beside Kahli while both Emily and Sonia stared wide eyed at Kahli.

“Okay, just one cup today,” Sam said. “Arlo’s making me run around like a -” She paused and glanced up at Sonia, who was still staring at Kahli. Sam turned her gaze to Emily, then followed her gaze to Kahli. She blinked, her brows furrowed.

“Uh,” she started. “What’s going on?”

“Kahli slept with Arlo!” Emily blurted out.

Sam nearly jumped at this, standing upright and knocking her stool back. “Oh my god!” She shouted. “That’s where he was all night!” She bounced on her toes as the pieces came together. “Oh my god. Remi said he was out. He was out all damn night. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god!”

“Oh my god,” Kahli moaned, and she buried her face in her hands. “We didn’t!”

Sam stopped bouncing. “What?”

“We didn’t… sleep together.”

“Oh.” Sam pouted, then picked up her stool and sat once more. “Wait. Bullshit. Why do you have his jacket?”

“Maybe it’s mine,” Kahli muttered.

Emily pulled the jacket and sniffed it. “Nah. Smells like dude.”

Sonia put a hand on her hip and grinned at Kahli.

Kahli sneered at Emily, then yanked the jacket out of her hands and tossed it to Sam.

Sam held it for a moment, then nodded. “Yup. Definitely Arlo’s.”

“There was no sleeping,” Kahli insisted.

“Right,” Emily said. “Because you were too busy fu-”

“Well, that’s enough for me,” Django said. He stepped around the bar. “I’m gonna go clean a table or something.”

“Coming to Portia was the worst decision I’ve ever made,” Kahli muttered.

“C’mon, then,” Sonia said. “Details!”

Kahli sighed. “There are no details.”

“Something happened,” Sam said.

“It was nothing.” Kahli hesitated. “Just a kiss.”

The three women ‘ooh’d’ enthusiastically and Kahli’s cheeks flushed.

“Just a kiss?” Emily pressed.

Kahli shrugged. “Yeah. I dunno. We talked.”

“About what?” Sonia asked.

“Well, we discussed having a June wedding. And we talked about how many kids we wanted to have.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Hilarious.”

“Just. You know. Talked. Isn’t that what people do?”

“So, what?” Sonia asked. “Are you guys a thing?”

Kahli hesitated. She looked into her mug. “I dunno.”

“Doesn’t sound like you talked to me,” Emily said.

“What is he supposed to do?” Kahli snapped. “Get on one knee and declare me his girlfriend or something?”

“Is that what people do these days?” Sam asked. “I’ve been kind of out of the loop in the whole dating world.”

Emily frowned. “Yeah. I think the last time I was someone’s girlfriend was in high school. It was very awkward. He just came right out and asked me to be his girlfriend. And then we were. And then we weren’t. The end.” She sighed.

Sonia shook her head. “Doesn’t have to be quite that blunt,” she started. “But it’s definitely something you guys need to talk about. Make sure you’re on the same page with what you want.”

“If you didn’t talk about that,” Emily started, “then what the hell did you talk about?”

“Our… feelings.”

Sam pressed a palm to her forehead and shook her head. “So, let me get this straight. You professed your love -”

“You guys are in love?” Emily shouted.

“You professed your like?” Sam attempted to correct herself. “You’re in like?”

Kahli’s lips pressed together and her head tilted slightly. “Um.”

Sam nodded. “Okay. So you professed your love.” She ignored Emily’s squeal of delight. “You kissed.”

“What kind of kiss?” Sonia asked.

“Well, the first one -”

“You kissed a lot,” Sam confirmed. She grinned. “Made out. And then… you went home and that was it?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you stole his jacket,” Emily pointed out.

“I forgot I was wearing it,” Kahli muttered. “It's cold at night, yanno.”

Emily sighed dreamily. “That’s so damn romantic.”

Sonia nodded. “I’m a little jealous.”

Sam stood. She held Arlo’s jacket. “I’d say this mystery is solved,” Sam said. “Well, almost. As soon as you guys admit that you’re gonna be together forever.”

Sonia and Emily nodded in agreement.

“I’m not really good at the whole relationship thing,” Kahli said.

Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll bring ya boy his jacket,” she said with a grin, but it quickly turned to a frown. “Aw, man, he’s gonna make me run a hundred laps around Amber Island I bet.”

“Why would he do that?” Emily asked.

“Because he always does when I try to get in his business!” She huffed and pointed a finger at Kahli. “Next time just sleep with him so I don’t have to deal with him in the morning.”

“Anything for you, Sam,” Kahli muttered.

Sam winked at her, then flipped the jacket over her shoulder and left the restaurant. 

“So, speaking of sex,” Emily started, and Kahli groaned.

“I don’t want to think about it,” she said. “It’s been like, a year. I’d probably be terrible. I don’t remember where things go.”

Sonia laughed. “Stop being so dramatic.” She made a circle with her index finger and thumb on one hand, then moved the index finger on her other hand into the circle, then out again.

“Crude,” Emily said. “But she’s right. No where else for it to go.”

“Well,” Sonia started.

“Please stop,” Kahli muttered.

“Yes, please stop,” Django called from across the restaurant. “This isn’t Sex Ed.”

“Ah,” Emily said, waving Kahli off. “You guys’ll figure it out.”

“They need to figure out what they’re doing, first,” Sonia said, and Emily nodded.

Kahli finished her coffee and stood. “Thanks for the coffee, Em,” Kahli said with a grin.

Emily rolled her eyes, then counted her change and slid it across the bar to Sonia, but Sonia waved her off.

“Coffee and therapy is on me today, ladies. At least one of us is getting laid.”

“Not yet,” Kahli said.

Emily giggled. “Not yet, huh? Feeling pretty confident, are we?”

Kahli shrugged. “He could barely keep his hands off of me.” She grinned, then turned toward the door, waving over her shoulder.

She wished she felt as confident as she pretended to be, but the moment she stepped out into the plaza, she felt exposed. She looked up and met Nora’s gaze, and Nora smiled and waved. Feeling guilty, Kahli offered her a quick smile in greeting, then pulled her gaze away and hurried to the commerce building. Antoine spoke the moment the door closed behind her.

“Kahli and Arlo sitting in a tree,” he sang.

“What the fuck,” Kahli muttered. “How did you find out already?”

Antoine laughed. “Come on, Kahl,” he started. “Rumors spread like wildfire here.”

“I only told Sam, Em, and Sonia!”

Antoine shrugged. “I heard from Erwa who said that Dawa saw you two last night looking awfully cozy together.”

“For the love of shit.” Kahli sighed. “Does the whole damn town know?”

Antoine shrugged. He leaned forward. “Is it a secret?”

“I dunno what it is,” Kahli said.

“Well, you better figure that out.”

“Thank you, Dr. Love.” Kahli rolled her eyes. She swiped a commission from the board and without another word to Antoine, she left, hurrying quickly across the plaza before she met any other watchful gaze.

She had never been more grateful for her workshop, then, as she closed the door to the outside world and stood in the dim light for a moment. She didn’t particularly feel like working, but she didn’t know what else to do with her time, and it seemed like hanging around town would only make her the center of attention, which was the last thing she wanted. In fact, she was sure that word would reach all of Portia by the end of the day, and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to even step into the plaza without everyone watching her.

It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if she knew what they were supposed to be. Despite the fact that they had admitted their feelings to one another, it didn’t seem right to just assume they were in a relationship. Even though that’s what people in relationships did. But she still couldn’t wrap her brain around it. She hadn’t seen Arlo since last night. Maybe something changed. Maybe he decided that he didn’t want to be with her. Maybe it was just all some fluke. Whatever it was, Sonia was right; they would need to talk about their future, if they even had one together.

It felt so… strange… to think that they would talk about their future. Like they had one. Did they have one? Could they have one? She had never been in a serious relationship before. Would this be serious? She supposed it would be. How could two people be in love and not be serious?

The thoughts came in rapid fire, and it all felt overwhelming, clouding her mind and causing her to panic. She desperately tried to push them all aside; she would have her answers soon enough, she was sure. So, she set to work on her latest job, falling into the rhythm of her workshop once more. Her mind slowed and quieted, and soon, all she could think about was kissing Arlo again.


	24. Chapter 24

It was late in the evening when Kahli finished her work, and her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to eat. Earlier that morning, she wouldn’t have dared step into the plaza, never mind a bustling restaurant where nearly all of Portia would be. But she was hungry, and she didn’t have much for food in the house. Plus, she knew she couldn’t hide away forever. She wasn’t sure if she felt ready to talk about anything, but when she saw Arlo and Remington standing outside the Round Table, it seemed that that conversation would happen whether she was ready or not.

She hesitated when she met Arlo’s gaze, and he smiled at her in greeting. They were quiet for a moment until Remington cleared his throat.

“Alright, well,” he started. He nodded to Kahli in greeting. “Kahli. Guess I’ll see ya inside.” He went inside, leaving them alone in the plaza in the cool night.

“So, uh,” Kahli started in a desperate attempt to fill the silence. “I gave Sam your jacket.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said. “You might want to invest in a couple. This isn’t Barnarock, you know.”

Kahli laughed. “Yeah, seriously. I’m not used to this cold weather.”

“This is nothing,” he said. “It’s just going to get colder.”

“I don’t know how I’ll survive,” she said.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Sure.” She fell quiet..

“So, did you hear all the rumors, too?” Arlo asked.

Kahli let out a breath. “It’s like these people have nothing better to talk about,” she said. She laughed nervously. “I’m afraid to walk in there.”

“Then don’t.” He offered her a smile. “We can go somewhere else.”

“We?”

“Unless you don’t want to hang out,” Arlo said quickly.

“No, no, I do.” She hesitated. “I just… I guess… are we… what are we doing?”

“I was hoping to eat,” Arlo said. “I haven’t eaten all day.”

“No, I mean.” She bit her lower lip. “You know. People keep asking me questions and I don’t know what to tell them.”

“About us?”

She swallowed. “Yeah.”

“What do you want to tell them?”

“Oh, sure, just put me on the spot,” she muttered. “I told you I’m not good at this!”

Arlo laughed. “Right, I forgot,” he said. “Well, I can tell you what I’d like to tell them.” He stepped forward and took her hand in his.

Kahli nodded. “Okay,” she whispered. “Cool. Me too.”

Arlo kissed her. “We can get outta here,” he whispered.

Kahli smiled and met his gaze. “Nah,” she said. “I mean. Maybe. Later.” Her cheeks warmed. “But I’m kinda hungry, too.”

Arlo stepped aside and gestured toward the door. “After you.”

Kahli sucked in a breath, then opened the door and stepped through.

To her relief, not everyone turned their attention to the door, too involved in their drinks and conversation to notice them at first. But she did catch the gazes of exactly the people she thought would be interested in the two of them. Sam, Emily, Remington, and Antoine all sat at the bar, and each of their heads turned curiously to them. Django glanced briefly over his shoulder as he prepared a tray of drinks, and from across the room, Sonia looked up and grinned at them. Even Presley and Gale seemed to eye them curiously, though they quickly resumed their conversation, paying them no further mind.

“We can still run,” Arlo reminded her. “Ride off into the sunset or something.”

Kahli laughed. “And let Higgins get all the work to himself? I don’t think so.”

“Oh, I see how it is,” Arlo said. “You’re only sticking around to show him up.”

Kahli met his gaze and smiled, then took his hand in hers. “You got me.” She pulled him to the bar, then pushed herself between Emily and Sam.

“Hey guys,” Emily sang, drawing out each word. “Whatcha doing?”

“Hopefully getting shit faced,” Kahli said.

“Play your cards right and you might get laid, Arlo,” Emily said.

“Ignore her,” Sam said. “She’s already drunk.”

Sonia slid in behind the bar and pressed her palms against the counter, leaning forward against her arms. She looked between Kahli and Arlo and grinned. “So, the ship is sailing?”

“Oh, sure,” Kahli said. “I mean, it will most likely capsize and self combust into a fiery inferno and sink to the depths of the ocean where it will die and be long forgotten.”

“Such faith,” Arlo muttered.

Kahli shrugged. “I think you had plenty of warning, but you got on board anyway.”

“Ha ha,” Emily teased. “You’re stuck with her now.”

“I’m a delight,” Kahli said. “Besides. I’m only in it for the sex.”

Antoine snorted but made no further comment.

Sonia glanced at him. “Nothing to add, peanut gallery?”

Antoine shrugged. “I already teased her about it this morning.”

Sam nodded. “And I gave him a talkin’ to, too.”

Kahli glanced at Arlo. “She did?”

Sam stood and pushed Arlo back, keeping between them. “I said ‘If you break my best friend’s heart, I’ll break your face’.”

“She’ll do it,” Remington commented.

“She would,” Arlo confirmed. “But I assured her it would not be a problem.”

Kahli’s cheeks warmed and she turned to Sonia as she passed her a drink.

Sam nodded in agreement with Arlo. “I give my seal of approval.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Sam grinned and patted Kahli on the head. “Someone’s gotta look out for my lost little baby.”

“Sam,” Kahli whined. “Please. I’m trying to make a good impression here.”

Arlo scoffed and Kahli sneered at him.

“Quiet, you,” she said. “We’re not at the point of the relationship where you can call me out on my bullshit.”

Arlo smirked. “Yes, Darling.”

“Wow,” Emily said, and she hiccuped. “She’s demanding. You’ve been together less than twenty-four hours and she’s already got your balls in her purse.”

“Already bickering like a married couple.” Sam giggled.

Kahli sighed. “You were right,” she said, glancing at Arlo. “We should have run when we had the chance.”

Arlo nodded. “I’m usually right about these things.”

“What?” Sam barked. “Where were you gonna run off to?”

“To the bed.” Emily snickered.

“She’s a child,” Sonia said, shaking his head.

“Are you done interrogating Karlo?” Django asked, coming around behind the bar. “Or am I gonna run this place by myself tonight?”

“Who’s Karlo?” Kahli asked.

Sonia put a hand on her hip and grinned. “It’s your couple name.”

“Couple name?” Arlo echoed.

“Oh for fuck’s -” Kahli groaned.

“That’s what happens when you’re the talk of the town,” Antoine said.

“It’s been less than twenty-four hours!” Kahli barked. “You people gotta simmer down, man!”

“There’s not much to talk about around here,” Antoine reminded her.

“Are we set on Karlo?” Sam asked. “I’m partial to Arli.”

Emily snorted. “Oh, Light, that’s worse!”

“If we’re voting,” Sonia started, “I want Kahlo. It sounds exotic.”

“We have our own names,” Kahli said. “Why do you feel the need to just smash them together?”

Emily giggled. “Smash.” She snorted, then sighed. “Aw, man. Everyone’s getting laid but me.” She put her head on the counter.

Sonia patted her head, then slowly slid her glass away from her. “You’re cut off.”

“Rem, help us out here,” Kahli begged.

Remington shook his head. “No way. I’m staying way the fuck away from this. In fact, Sonia, gimme two.” He took the two bottles from Sonia and stood, then offered one to Arlo. “I’m saving your ass. Let’s go.”

“Thank you.”

Kahli narrowed her gaze on Arlo. “You’re not leaving me here.”

Arlo shrugged and grinned at her. “Bye.”

Kahli sneered at him as he followed Remington to a booth.

“You guys are so adorable,” Emily slurred. She lifted her head for a moment. “You’re gonna have his babies.”

“That’s a weird thing to say, Em,” Kahli muttered.

Emily grinned at her. “Just you wait. You’ll see.”

“Is someone taking her home?”

“I was hoping you would,” Sam said.

“Kahli can’t take her home,” Sonia said in an obvious tone. “She’s taking Arlo home.”

Antoine snickered.

“Oh, we’re doomed, aren’t we?” Kahli said dryly.

“If you keep hanging around them,” Antoine started, “probably.”

“Nah,” Sam said. “We’re totally team Karlo.” Her gaze hardened on Kahli. “So don’t fuck this up. Because Arlo is my best friend too and I’ll fuck you up if you hurt him.” She brightened again. “Okay?” she said cheerily.

“I’m really getting mixed signals here. Who’s side are you taking in the break up?”

“I won’t have to choose,” Sam said proudly. “Because it won’t happen!”

“You seem pretty confident about that.” Kahli met her gaze, and Sam smiled.

“Yeah,” she said. She turned her attention across the room to Arlo. “I’ve got a pretty good feeling about that. And apparently so does Emily.”

“Mhm,” Emily said.

Kahli met Arlo’s gaze. The corner of his lips pulled into a crooked smile, and Kahli’s cheeks warmed.

“That’s it,” Sam said. “That right there. That’s how I know. You don’t see that too often.”

To Kahli’s relief, the conversation finally turned as they grew tired of talking about Kahli and Arlo, and before long, the Round Table started to empty until only they remained. Emily had sobered slightly during that time, and Sam offered to walk her home. Antoine left shortly after, and then Remington followed suit, leaving Kahli and Arlo standing alone in the plaza as Sonia and Django closed up for the night.

“That was exhausting,” Kahli said with a heavy sigh.

Arlo laughed. “I agree.”

“I mean, you’d think nothing exciting ever happened here.”

“Nothing exciting happens here,” Arlo confirmed.

“Well, sure, but, come on,” Kahli stammered. “Our personal lives are hardly that exciting. And I’m sorry, but I hate Karlo.” She made a sound of disgust. “God, what even is that? Karlo. Karlo. Karlo. Yuck.”

“Yes, I’m quite happy with our relationship, too,” Arlo teased.

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. I love you. But I hate Karlo.”

“What?”

Kahli met his gaze and blinked at him. “What?”

“You said -”

“I know what I said,” she hissed. “God. Shut up. What? You said it first.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Kahli stared at him, then snorted, then burst out into laughter. “Oh my god,” she gasped. “Did you forget?”

This time, she could have sworn she saw Arlo blush. “No,” he said quickly.

“Oh, man,” Kahli started. “What… Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry. That’s like, you know, a hundred steps ahead or something.”

“A hundred?”

“But I’m just saying. You said it.”

“I know.”

Kahli met his gaze and hesitated. “So. You know. It was said.”

Arlo nodded. “It was.”

“Did we do this out of order?”

“Probably.”

Kahli nodded. “So.”

Arlo pulled her into him and kissed her. “What’s done is done,” he said softly. “And I meant it.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze. “I… too. Me too.”

“I love you, Kahli.”

Kahli pressed her lips softly to his, then whispered against him. “I love you, too.”


	25. Chapter 25

“You know, I’m really starting to wonder if McDonald sold me some weird horse-pig creature, because you’re a fucking fatass, Star.”

The mare nickered and flicked her ears as she grazed on the fresh hay Kahli tossed to her.

“You’re getting fat, fat, fat!” Kahli continued as she picked up in the barn. She turned around to poke at Star’s belly. “God, you look pregnant! You’re going on a diet and we’re getting you back into shape!”

Star snorted and shook her mane, hardly missing a beat as she grazed.

“Don’t you wanna look good for Spacer? C’mon, he’s so cute. And, you know, his owner is nice to look at, too.” She snorted at herself. “Wouldn’t we be cute? Me and Arlo and you and Spacer. You could have cute little babies together, right?” She paused, nodding as if Star were speaking to her. Her eyes widened. “Me and Arlo?” She scoffed. “Please, Star. You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Let’s see if I can not fuck this up, first.”

“And what are you fucking up?”

Kahli nearly jumped out of her boots at Arlo’s voice. She turned to see him leaning against the doorway. It was midmorning, and the air was warmer than it had been the last few days. She was warned by many people around Portia not to get her hopes up, as the cold of winter was quickly approaching.

“Oy, what the fuck, man?” Kahli paused to let her racing heart slow, and Arlo apologized. 

Kahli sighed and blew her hair out of her face. “Is there something I can help you with, sir? Something I can build for you, perhaps?”

“I was thinking about what you said the other night,” Arlo said. “About doing things backwards. So, let me take you on a date.”

“That’s cheesy.” Kahli grinned. “Alright. I’m in. What are we doing?”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Wow,” Kahli said. “This is very official. Alright, then, you may pick me up at eight. Preferably on your gallant steed.” She winked at Star.

“That can be arranged.”

Kahli laughed. “You don’t have to do this,” she said. “You already got the girl.”

Arlo shrugged. “Well, if you don’t appreciate my efforts -”

“No, no,” Kahli said quickly. She cleared her throat. “Bad at this, remember? Give me the effort. I want all the effort. Wine and dine me, or whatever you plan to do. I’ve never been on an official date before.”

“I want to feel bad for you.”

“You see why I’ve been single for so long.”

Arlo smiled. “I really don’t,” he said. “But I guess I just got lucky.”

Kahli blushed. “Remember that when I fuck everything up.”

“You’re not gonna drop that, are you?”

Kahli shrugged. “It’s a defense mechanism because I’m clearly tragic.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.” He pulled her to him and gazed into her eyes. “I just hope one day you’ll see what I see.”

“Save some smooth talking for the date,” Kahli muttered, her cheeks red.

Arlo smiled, kissed her, then pulled away. “See you at eight.”

*****

Kahli had a bounce in her step for the rest of the day, more excited than she expected to be for her first official date with Arlo. Most of the dates she had been on in the past left her severely disappointed. He talked about his ex the whole time, or he picked at his teeth, or he kept making sexual innuendos. A couple made it a little further, onto second and third dates, and if she didn’t find something wrong with them, they clearly found something wrong with her.

Her dating life had always been a drag, and it got to the point where she truly hated dating. No one would write romantic novels about her. Tragedies, maybe. She’d even go as far to say a comedy. The girl that couldn’t keep a man for more than a few months. 

But she didn’t dread her upcoming date with Arlo. For once, she felt as if she had something good in her life; something worth holding on to. For some reason, Arlo found her tolerable, and she swore to herself that she would let herself enjoy her time with him, however long it may be. She was determined to change her attitude and see things more positively. Because in truth, coming to Portia was the best thing that could have happened to her. She was seeing that, now. She had a steady job, even if it wasn’t what she ever expected to be doing. And she was pretty good at it, too. She had friends. She had a  _ boyfriend. _ Despite everything, things were turning around for her. Life wasn’t a total, pointless drag.

And she hadn’t thought about her father in some time, either. She didn’t lose herself to her thoughts, daydreaming about what could have been. She didn’t wonder where he was or what he was doing. She simply didn’t care anymore. And it was exhausting, anyway. She had other things to focus her energy on, now. Like her date with Arlo.

She finished her chores quicker than she anticipated, leaving her with a few hours in the evening to pace her house and wait for Arlo’s arrival. She had already showered, dressed, and even styled her hair for the first time in years. It fell in loose, bouncy waves around her shoulders, one side pinned back. She even wore a dress. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done that. In fact, she only owned one dress, and if she recalled correctly, her aunt Kendra had bought it for her and forced her to wear it at some event. She filled out the bust a little more than she had as a teenager, but otherwise, it fit relatively well, flowing out at her knees.

She stared at herself in the mirror and bit the corner of her lower lip as another thought came to mind. Would they have sex?

She narrowed her gaze at herself. “Don’t fuck this up,” she hissed at her reflection. “I don’t know how you will, but I’m sure you’ll find a way. Don’t do it. Don’t! Got it?”

She grinned at herself and nodded, then winked. “Yeah, you got this,” she said. “You’re gonna own this date. And you’re gonna have sex!”

Her face paled slightly. “Oh god. Are you gonna have sex? Are you good at sex? I don’t remember. I forgot how to have sex!”

She sucked in a breath to calm herself, then scoffed. “Please. We’re good at sex. Remember that one night stand? Yeah you do, you remember. Blew his mind. We’re good at this. Just be cool, alright, man? Be cool. For the love of fuck be cool!”

She couldn’t look at herself any longer. She probably shouldn’t talk to herself anymore, either, in case Arlo overheard her - again. He would definitely think she was crazy, then. She pulled herself away from the mirror and trotted downstairs. She needed air.

She hurried outside and leaned against the fence. God, why was she so nervous? She wanted to throw up, but the sound of trotting hooves made her think otherwise, and she looked up as Spacer stopped in front of her.

“You said a gallant steed, right?” Arlo said with a grin. “I dunno about gallant, but…”

Spacer snorted and shook his head.

Kahli leaned over to pat his muzzle. “Spacer is the most gallant steed I know,” she said.

Arlo patted the horse’s neck. “Hear that, Bud? At least someone thinks so.”

She noticed, then, that he had his other arm behind her back, and she peered at him curiously.

“Oh.” Arlo pulled his arm out, revealing a bouquet of flowers. “I’m pulling out all the stops.”

“You really are.” Kahli took them from him and smiled. She set them in an empty planter by the gate, then moved to Spacer’s side. Arlo reached toward her, and she took his hand, allowing him to pull her up onto Spacer behind him.

“So, what’s your big plan, Romeo?”

“Well, it’s Portia,” Arlo said. “So if it’s a night on the town you want -”

“Hi, I’m Kahli, and my Friday nights consisted of playing poker with my aunt. Clearly all about that nightlife.”

Arlo laughed. “I didn’t think so,” he said. He kicked Spacer forward and Kahli wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Well, whisk me away, cowboy.”

They didn’t ride for long before Arlo pulled Spacer to a stop beside the duck pond. They dismounted, and Kahli looked around as Arlo fished through his saddle bags. When she turned around, he pulled out a bottle of wine, presenting it to her proudly.

“Tada!”

“Wine! An excellent choice, sir.”

“And…” Arlo fished through the bag, then pulled out a blanket. “For m’lady.”

“You thought of everything.”

“Actually, I did.” He pulled out his jacket and tossed it to her.

She grinned and slid her arms into the sleeves. She pulled it close around her and sighed, breathing in his scent. Arlo laid out the blanket, and they sat side by side. He opened the wine, poured a glass, and offered it to her.

“Okay,” Kahli said after a moment. She sipped her wine. “So, who helped you with this?”

“Do you think me so incapable?” 

“It’s a bit suspicious is all I’m saying,” she said. “How many ladies have you had late night picnics with?”

“None.”

She sipped her wine and nodded. “Where’s your secret stash of cheesy romance novels?”

“Oh, you’re funny.”

Kahli smirked. “I bet you circled all the best ideas and have a notebook full of notes.”

“Fun fact; Sam’s totally into cheesy romance novels.”

“So, Sam gave you all these ideas, then?”

He shrugged. “If that’s what you want to believe.”

“My best dates were ones where the guy didn’t have a ‘Federal Boobie Inspector’ t-shirt on.”

Arlo laughed. “No,” he said. “I call bull.”

Kahli shook her head. “Believe it.” She sipped her wine. “So, you can imagine my skepticism that you thought of all of this.”

“Well, it might surprise you to know that not all men are obnoxious pigs.”

“It would have surprised me,” Kahli said. “Before I met you.”

“Smooth.” Arlo winked at her.

“I can play Romeo, too.” She held her glass and Arlo tapped his against hers in toast.

“To a decent first date, then,” he said.

“Top ten.”

“Top ten?”

Kahli laughed and leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head. They fell quiet for a moment, and Kahli turned his gaze to the stars.

“I was never much of a morning person back home,” Kahli started. “I always loved sitting outside, looking up at the stars. I’d stay up all night and watch the sunrise. Those really early morning hours were always my favorite, just before the sky started to lighten. It always felt like the world was just… still. Like time stopped altogether.”

“I’m sure there was a night where we both looked up at the moon.”

“Who wouldda thunk?” she said with a sigh. “That you were just on the other side of the ocean? And I almost didn’t come here.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“Me too.”

Arlo lifted her chin and her lips met his. She dropped her glass onto the blanket and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her body against him, moving over him until she straddled him. She moved her hands through his hair, deepening their kiss until she felt Arlo hesitate, and she pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze.

And time stopped. She felt as if she could see the world in his eyes in that moment. Their future, even. It seemed silly to say she could see her entire life with him after only one date. But maybe Sam and Emily were right. Maybe her gut instinct was right. Maybe that’s why it never worked out with anyone else before. Maybe that was why she felt drawn to coming to Portia. Maybe her and Arlo were meant to be.

At one point, the thought of that would have terrified her. The idea of being so vulnerable to someone else - she never would have put herself in that position. She wouldn’t have been able to handle someone else leaving her. But she wasn’t scared. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.

“I’m not your father,” Arlo whispered, seemingly reading her mind.

Kahli’s breath caught in her throat. Clearly, her thoughts showed on her face, and he could read her all too well.

“I know,” she said. She pressed her palm against his warm cheek, then leaned in to kiss him once more.

*****

It was nearing midnight when they returned to Kahli’s, and like the gentleman that he was, Arlo walked her to the door. 

“Did I at least hit top five in the best date category?” Arlo asked playfully.

“You definitely hold the number one spot,” Kahli said, and she smirked at him. “Though, there wasn’t much competition. You basically nailed it just by not wearing an ‘FBI’ t-shirt.”

“You’re easy to please,” he said. “Guess I could have left the steed at home.”

“You know, you’ve only set the bar really high for yourself,” she said. “I’m going to expect bigger and better next time.”

“Dammit,” Arlo joked. “I did not think that through, did I?”

Kahli smiled. “So.” She hesitated. “Do you… have an early morning?”

“I… don’t think so.”

“I’ve got a bottle of wine we can break into.”

“That sounds like third date talk.”

“Well, we’re not exactly doing things in order, now, are we?”

“I suppose not.”

Kahli wrapped her arms around him, pulling him toward her, and kissed him. Arlo moved in closer, pressing her against the door. She fumbled with the door knob until it finally swung open, and they nearly stumbled into the dark room. Kahli just barely managed to kick the door closed, not interrupting their kiss, and she pulled Arlo’s wrist, leading him quickly through the dark house and into her room where their kissing resumed.

She pulled at his shirt first, and he pulled it over his head. She promptly pushed him against the bed and straddled him, and his hands moved up her bare thighs and under her dress, their kiss deepening passionately. 

Little by little, pieces of clothing were removed and tossed carelessly to the floor. Their bodies were intertwined with one another, shadowy figures that melted into the darkness. And for a moment, time ceased to exist as they lost themselves to one another.


	26. Chapter 26

Kahli could feel the warmth of the sun’s rays on her eyelids, but she wasn’t ready to open her eyes just yet. She stretched her legs out and her calves brushed against Arlo’s legs. She moved her legs until they were intertwined with his. Arlo’s arm moved around her, and she snuggled against him. He nuzzled her neck, and she sighed.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Morning.”

“I wish it wasn’t.” He kissed her neck, sending a chill up her spine.

Kahli turned over to face him and met his gaze. “Me too.”

He pressed his lips against hers for a soft moment before pulling away again. Through the closed window, she could hear Star’s whinny, desperate for her breakfast. Kahli sighed and pressed her forehead against Arlo’s.

“My fat horse is hungry,” she murmured. 

Arlo chuckled softly. “I wish we could stay here all day.”

Kahli kissed him, then sat up and yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She swung her legs over the bed, then hurried across the room to grab her clothes, muttering “cold, cold, cold” the whole time until she was dressed in her jeans and a t-shirt. She turned around and met Arlo’s gaze. She blushed and smiled.

“Uh. Coffee?” She paused in thought. “I think I have coffee.”

“Sure.”

She pulled her hoodie off a nearby chair, pulling it over her head, then trotted quickly downstairs and into the kitchen where she started the coffee. Arlo emerged fully dressed when it was ready, and she offered him a mug. She heard Star’s whinny again and she rolled her eyes.

“I swear I don’t starve her. Dramatic pig.” She leaned against the counter and sipped at her coffee, letting the steam warm her face. “You know, I just realized something. We got all our firsts out of the way in less than a week.”

Arlo considered this. “I guess so.”

“That’s gotta be a record.”

He smirked behind his mug as he took a sip.

“Is that too fast?”

“It’s not like we met a week ago,” he pointed out.

“Right.” Kahli nodded. “We’ve known each other like… almost a year.” She blinked at her coffee. “Holy crap, I’ve been here almost a year. It’s time for me to jump ship.” Star whinnied again. Kahli finished her coffee quickly, placed the mug hard back on the counter, then moved to the window, throwing it open and leaning out. “I’m coming, fatass! Jeez! Shut up!”

Star had her neck stretched out over the fence, her ears pinned back as she snapped at Spacer, who seemed to regard her with confusion.

“Leave Spacer alone,” she hissed. “He’s not a loud mouth like you are. Maybe you could learn something from him.” She closed the window and sighed. “I guess I should give Her Highness her breakfast.”

Arlo threw his jacket over his shoulders and followed her outside toward the barn. He cooed to Spacer, patting his nose as Kahli threw Star some hay.

“You know,” Kahli started, speaking to Star from over the fence as she grazed. “You won’t die if you don’t get breakfast at the ass crack of dawn.” She sat on the fence and faced Arlo with a grin. “Leaving me?”

He moved to her and kissed her. “Only for a little bit.”

“Sure, sure,” she said. “Don’t get into too much trouble.”

His gaze narrowed on her. “I should be saying that about you.”

“Come on,” she said. “When was the last time I took on a hoard of bandirats?”

“I guess you’ve got a point.”

“It’s not like I go looking for trouble.”

“I think you do. That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

Kahli nodded. “I had to pretend to be a damsel in distress so the cute Civil Corps guy would notice me and come to my rescue.”

“Oh, I noticed,” he said. “I noticed the day you showed up.”

Kahli smiled. “Is that what you say to all the new girls? Woo ‘em with that smooth talk?”

“Clearly,” he said dryly.

Kahli laughed and kissed him. His lips lingered on hers a moment more before he pulled away and turned to Spacer, climbing onto his back.

“Don’t work too hard,” Kahli called as he kicked Spacer forward.

He looked over his shoulder and winked at her.

Kahli watched him leave. She swung her legs under her, then sighed. She looked down at Star who was still grazing happily.

“Guess I gotta feed the rest of the crew,” Kahli said to herself. She hopped down from the fence and set to work doing her usual chores around the barn. She mucked the stalls, fed the hens, the cows, the sheep, then topped off their water troughs. When she finished, it was nearing noon, and Emily stood at the gate, leaning over and whistling to catch her attention. When Kahli met her gaze, she wiggled her eyebrows at her.

“I thought I saw an extra horse here this morning,” Emily said as Kahli approached her. She grinned. “Arlo’s horse is hard to miss.”

Kahli leaned against the fence and looked out over Portia. The trees were nearly bare, now, and the air was colder than it had been. Winter was at their doorstep, but Kahli hardly noticed the chill.

“Oh boy,” Emily said. “You’re absolutely smitten.”

Kahli blew her hair out of her face. “Yeah,” she sighed.

“That good, huh?”

“Maybe.”

Emily giggled. “I bet you're glad you stuck around. I told you it would be worth it, didn’t I?”

Kahli raised a brow. “Did you?”

Emily nodded. “I did.”

“There were a lot of reasons to stay,” Kahli said. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to see that.”

“You are forgiven.” Emily winked at her. “C’mon, let’s get some lunch.”

Kahli followed Emily into town and to the Round Table. It was relatively empty, and they took their seats at the bar. Sonia was wiping down the counter when they entered, and she looked up with a smug grin as they sat.

“Well, well, well,” Sonia said. “And how was your evening?”

“Oh, it was pretty quiet,” Emily said. “You know, had a nice dinner with Gran -”

Sonia scoffed. “You  _ know _ I wasn’t talking to you.”

“My night was uneventful,” Kahli said.

“That’s not what I heard,” she teased.

Kahli put her chin in her hand and smiled. “Enlighten me.”

“Feeling pretty good today, hm?”

“She is so in love,” Emily said.

“Maybe,” Sonia said. “But getting laid puts people in a good mood, too.”

“Whatever,” Kahli said. “Don’t be mad because I’m getting some.”

Sonia frowned. “Dammit. You’re right.”

The door opened suddenly and Sam stood in the doorway for a moment. Her gaze narrowed and she pointed at Kahli. “You.”

Kahli swallowed. “Now what did I do?”

“Arlo was nice to me.”

“Is he normally not nice to you?” Emily asked.

“He’s… cheery.” She shuttered. “What have you done to him?”

“I don’t think he’s normally very grumpy,” Sonia commented.

Sam grinned. “Yeah, you’re right. I couldn’t pull that one off. Just wanted to give Kahli shit.”

“What else is new?” Kahli muttered.

Sam sat beside her. “So? Are we talking about it?”

“Talking about what?” But Kahli knew. She knew all too well.

“The latest rumors,” Sam said in an obvious tone. “I mean, I know they’re true.”

“Do you?” Kahli asked.

“Um, yeah. Who do you think was on patrol last night?” She grinned. “It wasn’t Arlo,” she sang.

“Oh.” Kahli paused in thought. “I wonder what he was up to last night.”

“Yeah, he is your boyfriend,” Emily teased. “You should probably check in on that.”

“That’s still weird to say.”

“What? That he’s your boyfriend?” Emily made kissing sounds.

“Maybe I’ll just hook up with Albert,” Sonia thought out loud to herself. “I gotta get something.”

“Listen,” Kahli started. “I know me getting laid is very difficult for you guys right now. So let me give you a little advice; pick up a book. They have these romance ones, you know? I’m tellin’ ya, you’ll love ‘em.”

Sam laughed nervously. “Ha, ha, yeah. God, Sonia. I’d rather read one of those then, uh, sleep with Albert.”

“It’s not the same,” Sonia said.

“Ha, yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t know. But. I would assume.”

“Do you think Mint is single?” Emily asked. “He’s kinda cute. And accomplished. And cute.”

“I could see you two together,” Sam said.

“Maybe I’ll make him a pie,” Emily thought out loud.

“Oh, that’s how you did it,” Kahli mused. “You bring all the new people in town a pie that’s been poisoned and force them to stay if they want the antidote.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “You caught me,” she said. “Jokes on you, though; there is no antidote.”

“Well, damn. Better warn Arlo that I might drop dead at any minute.”

“Aw,” Sam said. “And he seemed so happy, too.” She frowned. “I just know he’s going to somehow make this my fault.”

“Arlo was the antidote the whole time,” Emily said. “Poof. You’re cured.”

“Oh, good.” Kahli paused. “I can keep seeing him though, right?”

“Who am I to deny true love?”

“Dibs on maid of honor!” Sam shouted.

“Godmother!” said Emily.

“What the hell?” Sonia hissed. “That leaves me with nothing.”

“Oh, I just assumed you were going to be the bride and mother in this fantasy of theirs,” Kahli said.

“Whatever,” Sonia said. “Maid of Honor is a one time deal, anyway. I’ll be the really cool, pretty aunt that lets them get away with stuff.”

“Well, I’ll teach ‘em how to fight and play with swords!” Sam said.

“Maybe we don’t give children sharp weapons,” Kahli said, but they weren’t listening.

“Oh, me!” Emily raised her hand. “I’ll, uh, let them eat pies!”

“But will they be poisoned?” Kahli asked.

“You can’t teach them to fight,” Sonia said.

“Sure, I can,” Sam said. “They’re going to be just like Arlo.”

“What if they’re like Kahli?” Sonia asked.

“Even more reason,” Sam said. “They’ll need to be able to defend themselves if they’re always getting into shit.”

“Maybe I will leave Portia,” Kahli said out loud. “Leave all this crazy behind and start a new life. Change my name so no one can find me.”

“Sh, sh,” Sam said. “We’re planning your future here.”

“Oh, thank god someone is.” Kahli rolled her eyes.

A loud crash interrupted their playful bickering, and from the kitchen, Django and Ack emerged, seemingly in the midst of a heated argument.

“I told you,” Django said. “This isn’t Altair One! We don’t have that kind of equipment!”

“Oh, quiet, you old hippie,” Ack said. “I had it quite under control until you barged in!”

“I was only trying to -”

“Do you want my recipe or not? Because if so, we cook by my rules!”

“It’s my kitchen!”

“It seems we’re at an impasse,” Ack said. He turned to the women at the bar, brightening when he saw Kahli.

“Ah, Miss Kahli,” he said cheerfully. 

“Settling in well?” Kahli asked with a grin.

“Oh, quite,” he said. “I must congratulate you, as I believe that is appropriate to do, yes? On your recent… relationship?” He turned to Django. “Are they in an engagement? Or lovers?”

Django pressed his palm to his forehead and sighed heavily.

“Boyfriend and girlfriend,” Emily said.

“Lovers.” Sonia grinned.

“Soul mates.” Sam nudged Kahli.

“Boyfriend is fine,” Kahli said quickly.

“Excellent,” Ack said. “I was always routing for you two. Of course, I didn’t know anyone else.” He sighed. “C’est la vie. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to cook some real food.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Django muttered. “Come back when you’re ready to learn the real art of cooking,” he called after Ack. “With a real, brick oven!”


	27. Chapter 27

The trees were bare and the air was frigid, but the arrival of winter did not bring snow as Kahli had hoped. In truth, it seemed rather plain and depressing. Despite their warnings, Kahli was still unprepared for the cold that accompanied this new season. The morning chores around the barn that she had once enjoyed had become a nuisance. She couldn’t seem to get warm enough, no matter how many layers she wore. Emily teased her every time she ventured out into the cold, looking, as she described, like a giant marshmallow waddling her way to the barn. She supposed she would get used to it eventually.

But Arlo was warm. She looked forward to his warm embrace and his passionate kisses. No matter how cold and dark the day was, Arlo was a warm, bright presence in her life, at her side day after day, as often as he could be. And when he wasn’t patrolling at night, she snuggled up close to him, shoving her feet between his legs in an attempt to soak up every ounce of his body heat as she could.

The mornings were much darker than they had been, and she allowed herself to sleep in later than she was used to. And though Arlo was almost always up before her, she only woke enough to wish him a sleepy good morning before promptly dozing off again.

So when he actually woke her up one morning, she nearly jumped out of the bed, blinking in the morning light, alert, but groggy.

“Wha-what’s wrong?” She struggled to throw the blankets off of her. “Are the hen’s alright? I told you they would freeze. I’m going to freeze!”

Arlo laughed. “Sh, everything’s fine.”

Kahli blinked at him, slightly annoyed. “What? Then why are you waking me up?”

Arlo smiled. “Get dressed and come outside.”

Kahli frowned. “But it’s so cold,” she whined. “It’s always cold. When will this end?”

Arlo took her hands and kissed them. “Please? For me?”

“Oh, fine,” Kahli said with a sigh. “But only because I like you.”

She dressed, putting on extra layers and her jacket on top. She had learned to dress a little less like a marshmallow, opting for fleece long johns under her layers instead to help retain some heat. Arlo was already outside, and she trotted down the steps, already feeling slightly overheated. She opened the door and was immediately greeted by the cold, winter air.

But there was something different. Though it was day, the sun was not there to offer her a bit of warmth. She stepped out and let her eyes adjust to the daylight. The world was blanketed in white. A few inches of snow had coated the ground overnight, covering the landscape, the trees, the rooftops. It fell lightly from the grey sky, drifting and falling and landing delicately on her gloved hands and eyelashes. She held her hand up close, carefully inspecting the snowflake, noticing then the tiny, intricate details that seemed impossible.

She turned her gaze to the sky and watched as it fell softly around her. The world seemed still and silent. Time had stopped. She stared at the sky, stared at the snow around her, watched as her feet packed the snow together, leaving footsteps behind her as she walked to Arlo’s side. She didn’t notice the cold anymore. She simply stood and listened to the snow falling on bare branches. It seemed the only sound in the entire world.

She let out a breath, and it billowed away from her mouth in wispy steam. She held her breath for a moment, startled by this, then breathed out forcefully. She watched in awe as her breath was visible for a moment before disappearing. She squatted down and ran her hand through the snow. It was light and fluffy. She gathered it together in her hands. Most of it slipped through her fingers, but she was able to pack a small amount together to form a small ball.

She stood and let the snowball drop to the ground. She turned and met Arlo’s gaze. He was grinning as he watched her, delighted by her reaction to the snowfall.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Kahli hesitated. “You know,” she started softly. “I was really thinking this winter thing was for the birds. But… it’s much nicer with snow.”

Arlo pulled her to him, and Kahli stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“Thanks for dragging me out here,” she said. “I guess it was worth it.”

Arlo smiled. “I thought it was.”

She sighed. “So, what do you do with this stuff, anyway?” She lifted both feet, one at a time. “It’s kind of hard to walk through. And now the barn doors are blocked. Oh, no, will the animals be okay?”

Arlo laughed. “They can handle winter,” he assured her. “And I suppose we’ll have to clear out a path to the barn.”

“That sounds like a lot of work. What if it snows again?”

“Then you gotta clear it again.”

“I’m starting to rethink this snow thing,” Kahli muttered, and Arlo laughed.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “There’s something else I want to show you.”

“I hope it’s a shovel,” she remarked. She put her hand in Arlo’s and let him guide her through town. They walked to the school at the central plaza and watched as the kids ran down the steps and across the plaza, dressed in their warmest winter gear. Lucy followed them, shouting at them to be careful, but her warning’s went unheard, drowned out by their gleeful laughter.

They followed the kids just outside of the town walls where a collection of sleds were waiting for them. They each grabbed one as they ran by, and Toby and Jack both leapt forward with their sleds in front of them. They landed on the ground atop the sleds, and plummeted down the hill, shouting and laughing the whole way down. When they came to a stop, they rolled out in a fit of giggles, then returned to their feet, running up the hill and dragging their sleds behind them.

Kahli watched in awe as they did this over and over again, never seeming to tire of the activity, never noticing the cold that bit at their red noses, and laughing the entire time. The next time they reached the bottom, the boys proceeded to make snowballs, throwing them at one another, and occasionally at the girls, who barked and scolded them when they hit one of them.

As the boys proceeded to stack piles of snow together in what Kahli assumed to be some kind of fort, the girls took turns rolling three giant snowballs. They carefully placed each one on top of the other, then stuck a twig in each side. With a carrot for a nose and some stones for the eyes and mouth, they crafted the perfect snowman.

Kahli approached them curiously, admiring their snowman.

“Do you like him?” Molly asked proudly.

“His name is George!” Dolly exclaimed excitedly.

“You named it?” Kahli asked.

“Duh,” Molly said. “You always gotta name your snowman.”

“He seems lonely,” she remarked.

“Let’s make him a wife!” Polly said.

“Oh, yeah!” Molly said. “Good idea!”

“It can be Arlo and Kahli!” Dolly said.

Kahli watched as they started on the second snowman. “Okay, but make sure she’s pretty,” she said.

“Obviously!” Molly said.

Suspicious laughter caught her attention, and she turned her focus back onto the two boys. They had finished - or perhaps given up on - their snow fort and were now playing by the frozen river. They both stepped on to the ice, pushing one another. Their feet slipped out from under them and they fell down, laughing.

“Hey,” Arlo barked at them. “Get off of there.”

They pouted and whined.

“Come on, Arlo,” Toby whined. “Why can’t you let us have any fun?”

“The ice isn’t safe,” Arlo said. “You don’t want to fall through, do you?”

They clearly didn’t agree with him, but neither of them argued. They dragged their feet as they trudged off the nice, their arms crossed in disappointment.

“But I want to ice skate,” Jack said. He looked up at Arlo, attempting his cutest puppy dog eyes.

Arlo shook his head. “Wait until the ice gets thicker,” he said.

“When will that be?”

“We’ll have to see how cold it gets,” Arlo explained. “Check with me before you go out there, okay?”

“Fine,” Toby muttered.

“Promise?”

Toby sighed. “Okay! I promise!”

Arlo smiled. “Good.”

“I also promise to kick your butt in a snowball fight.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Toby put his hands on his hips. “Yeah! Or are you too scared?”

“I’m a little scared,” Arlo said with a nod. “I’ve seen how you make your snowballs.”

Toby grinned. “The key is to pack ‘em real hard.”

“You cheat,” Jack hissed. “You make them too hard!”

“That’s not cool, Tobes,” Arlo said.

“I’m just good at making snowballs!” Toby said defensively. “Sometimes snow is hard. That’s not my fault.”

“You literally just told me you pack them hard on purpose,” Arlo said.

“If you don’t, they’ll fall apart!”

Arlo picked up Toby by his jacket and grinned at him. Toby kicked his legs out, but could not get out of Arlo’s grasp.

“Just you wait until I’m older,” Toby said. “I’ll kick your butt, then I’ll be the leader of the Civil Corps!”

“Those are some big dreams,” Arlo said. “You’ve got a long way to go, kid.” He promptly dropped Toby into the nearest snow pile. “Takes more than a good fighter to do what I do.”

“Just you wait,” Toby said. “Django’s gonna teach me to be a way better fighter than you. Then I’ll get all the girls!”

Kahli crossed her arms. “How many more women do you have, exactly?” she asked Arlo with a grin.

“Not sure,” Arlo said. “I lost count a while back.”

Kahli laughed. “Wow. I guess I’m just another number, then.”

Arlo pulled her into her arms. “Never.”

“Ew,” the boys said in unison. “That’s gross.”

The girls, however, awed at them.

“That’s so adorable,” Molly said. “I wish there were other boys here besides Toby and Jack.”

“Hey,” Jack said. “What’s wrong with me?”

Molly shrugged. “Nothing, I guess.”

“For now,” Polly said.

“I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean,” Jack muttered. He looked to Arlo for support, and Arlo shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” he said. “No dating until after you're married. That goes for all of you.”

“Does that mean you and Kahli are married?” Polly asked.

“It’s different for adults,” Arlo said quickly.

“So, shouldn’t you say we can’t date until we’re adults?” Toby asked.

“Yeah,” Molly said. “That makes more sense.”

“It’s just a -” Arlo sighed. “Wow, you guys make me feel old.”

Toby giggled. “That’s ‘cuz you are!”

“Not as old as Isaac,” Arlo pointed out.

“He’s ancient,” Toby said.

“But I’m not that old.”

“Probably,” Dolly said.

“Well, shit,” Arlo said. “I guess I better start thinking about retirement.”

“That would be good,” Toby said with a nod. “Make way for someone young and brave and strong like me!”

“Absolutely,” Arlo said. “I’ll talk to Django and see if he thinks you’re ready to take my place.”

Toby threw a fist in the air. “Yes!”


	28. Chapter 28

Kahli leaned against Antoine’s desk as she looked over the latest commissions. The winter seemed to be the perfect time to be in the workshop. For one, it was cold outside, and the workshop was always warm, no matter what. It was tedious in the summer months, but now, she treasured it. And it didn’t feel so depressing being stuck inside, either, because most of the time, the weather outside was gloomy. The days were much shorter than she was used to, the sun setting late in the afternoon, which she was still learning to adjust to. But inside her workshop, she had learned to find a peace that she hadn’t had before when she worked. Much had changed in the last year since her arrival at Portia, and it was a good change.

“What’s your boy toy been up to these days?” Antoine asked.

Kahli shrugged. “Same shit he’s always up to.”

“Wow. Honeymoon phase over already?”

“One would say we’re comfortable and happy.”

“Well, that candle went out quick.”

“Don’t be jealous,” she said.

“Fine,” Antoine muttered. “But only a little.

Kahli smirked at him, but before she could say anything more, the door opened and Mint entered. He smiled when he met Kahli’s gaze.

“Just the person I was looking for,” he said.

“That usually means someone wants me to do something,” she said.

“Maybe,” Mint admitted. “There have been multiple mini-quakes in the tunnels since we started drilling. I’ve halted the excavation for now. The Civil Corps is checking it out, too. But I was hoping for your opinion.”

Kahli frowned. “Do you think it’s structurally unsound?”

“Might be,” he said. “You would be able to tell better than I.”

Kahli pressed her lips together. “I can take a look,” she offered.

“As soon as you can,” Mint said.

“I’ll head over in a few minutes.”

Mint nodded. “Great. I’ll see you there.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Antoine said after Mint left.

“I’ll let Mayor Gale know,” Kahli said. “If anyone’s looking for me, you know where I’ll be.”

“Be careful.”

*****

After alerting Mayor Gale of what was going on, Kahli quickly returned home, saddled Star, and galloped across Portia and into the Eufaula Desert toward the tunnel. When she arrived, she found Remington standing outside, and she quickly dismounted Star and approached him.

“What’s going on?” Kahli asked.

“Hold on,” Remington warned, putting a hand out. “Can’t let you in. Arlo and Sam are in there checking to see what’s causing the earthquakes.”

“Mint told me,” Kahli said. “He asked me to take a look.”

Remington shook his head. “No can do. Arlo’s orders. Until they can figure out what’s going on, no one goes in.”

Kahli’s brows furrowed in frustration. She opened her mouth to argue with him, but a quake ripped through suddenly, nearly knocking them off their feet. They turned toward the tunnel just as one of the worker’s ran out, shouting.

“That quake just loosened the ceiling! It collapsed!”

“Arlo!” Kahli ran forward, but Remington grabbed her arm, pulling her backwards and preventing her from running into the collapsing tunnel.

Kahli stared at the tunnel, horrified, until the quaking silenced. She felt Remington’s grip loosened, and she ran into the tunnel, Remington close at her heels. But just inside, their way was blocked, just as the worker said it would be. All she could do was stare, speechless, as she tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened as Remington muttered to himself for a moment.

“Arlo?” he shouted. “Sam? Can anyone hear me?”

The second that followed felt endless, but to Kahli’s relief, Arlo’s voice came.

“We’re here!”

“Arlo?”

“Yeah,” he called back. “Sam and Mint are here, too. We’re okay.”

Kahli let out a breath. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered.

“Thank heaves,” Remington said. “You had me worried.”

“Well, keep worrying,” Arlo said. “Mint’s hurt. The collapse caused a cave in. We’re in some kind of underground passage. I think it’s a part of the old shafts.”

“You mean the one linkin' up to the ole mine?”

“Yeah, that's the one. There's a locked door here; see if you can unlock it from the other side.”

Before either of them could say anymore, however, Remington and Kahli heard a sharp shriek. 

“What was that?” Remington asked warily.

“We’re not alone down here,” Sam said. “Hurry!”

“Sam?” But no one replied. “Sam!” After a moment more, he turned to Kahli. “Come on, we gotta hurry.”

Kahli followed Remington, running back outside where Mayor Gale was speaking with the worker.

“I just heard what happened,” he said. “Did you find anyone in there?”

“Yes, sir,” Remington said. “Arlo, Sam, and Mint are trapped in there. We’re going to use the ol’ mine shafts to try to get to them.

“That old mine over there?” Gale hesitated. “That’s going to be dangerous.”

“Arlo said Mint is hurt,” Kahli said.

Gale nodded. “I’ll get Dr. Xu to meet us here. In the meantime, please be careful.”

They didn’t waste another moment, running into the mines to begin their search for Arlo, Sam, and Mint.

“No one has been down here for a long time,” Remington said as he looked around them. “Miners used to look for relics here, back before Portia was founded. But for some reason, it didn’t work out too well for them and they sealed it up.”

“I have a feeling we’ll find out why they sealed it,” Kahli muttered.

“Keep your guard up,” Remington said with a nod.

The main room was round and large, and they made their way across and down the tunnel on the opposite side. Kahli half expected the mines to be crawling with monsters, and they didn’t get very far before they encountered their first horde of tunnel worms. With their weapons in hand, Kahli and Remington took care of them quickly, pushing forward as fast as they could to rescue their comrades.

The tunnel opened up into another large room, and three more tunnels stretched on, one to their left, one to their right, and one straight ahead. Two of the tunnels, however, were gated off, so they turned to their right down the open tunnel where they battled another hoard of worms.

The tunnel stretched on, curving this way and that and bringing them downhill and across a rickety old bridge. On the other side, several more tunnel worms waited for them, and they disposed of them with ease. At the far end of this room was a machine of some sort with a switch on it.

“It's a switch for a door,” Remington said. “I bet it opens up one of those tunnels back there.”

Kahli hit the switch and they backtracked through the tunnel and back to the main room. As Remington predicted, one of the tunnels had opened, and they followed it. To their relief, this tunnel was not infested with tunnel worms, offering them a moment to catch their breaths.

“It’s said that there were people left underground from the old days down here,” Remington said conversationally. “The rumors say that they're no longer human and have become something else entirely. Creepy, right? We actually followed some leads down here not too long ago and found nothin'. So I don't think it's true.”

“I’ve seen enough crazy to know it might be true,” Kahli said. “But I hope you’re right.”

They came to the end of the tunnel where it opened up into another large room with another machine and a switch at the other end. Remington moved ahead, but Kahli hesitated. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

“Rem,” she said warily. “How sure are you that there are no creepy zombie people down here?”

Remington paused and glanced at her, his brows furrowed. “Um.” He hesitated. “Starting to feel less sure?”

They fell silent, their hearts frozen, as they heard a distinct groaning sound coming from the far corner of the cavern. Remington turned slowly as their gazes moved to the shadowed corner, and a humanoid figure stepped out.

It was easy enough to tell that the creature had been human at one point. Whatever happened to it over the years, however, that person was long dead and gone, another monster entirely. The skin was wrinkled, grey, and leathery, its limbs long and lanky as it crawled out of the corner of the cavern. It screeched, the sound sharp and piercing, bouncing off the walls of the cavern. Then it leapt towards Remington at surprising speed.

Kahli ran to Remington’s aid, but Remington was quick to defend himself from the creature’s initial attack, knocking it back slightly, just long enough to allow Kahli to join his side, sword at the ready. The creature leapt toward Kahli, and as Kahli battled it off, Remington flanked it. Caught between the two of them, they quickly and easily disposed of the creature. It let out one final screech with its dying breath before falling still and silent.

“Oh, sure,” Kahli said as she fought to catch her breath. “Let’s trust the Civil Crops to keep us safe. That’s going well.”

“Well, it’s not like it came out and attacked the town,” Remington sneered.

“Because I saved the day once again,” Kahli said with a smug grin. “You’re welcome.”

“Why don’t you lead the charge, then?”

Kahli shook her head. “I have to be a good girlfriend and pretend I’m still a damsel in distress. Don’t want to hurt his ego.”

Remington started to laugh, then frowned as a realization came to him. “He’s gonna be so mad I dragged you with me.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Like you would have been able to stop me.”

“We can at least pretend I tried.”

Kahli grinned. She made her way to the switch and pressed it. “I’ll take all the blame,” she assured him.

They backtracked through the tunnel they came through until they were back in the main room once more. This time, the final tunnel had opened, allowing them entry, and they made their way deeper into the mine. This time, however, the horde of tunnels worms they encountered had already been slain, carcasses scattered throughout the tunnel. They stepped over them carefully.

“Do you think they came through here?” Kahli asked.

“Must have,” Remington said with a nod. “We must be on the right track.”

They followed the tunnel further in until it opened to another room. On the other side of the room was yet another switch, and beside the switch, a tunnel closed off by a gate. Kahli pressed the switch, and the gate opened. A brief corridor brought them into a much larger cavern where, to their relief, they found Arlo, Sam, and Mint. However, they were not alone. In the center of the room stood an AI with two long, mechanical legs, drills on the end of each of them.

“Remi!” Sam said in excitement.

Arlo turned his gaze to them, his brows furrowing slightly when he saw Kahli. But they didn’t have a chance to celebrate their rescue as the AI came towards them.

“Stay with Mint,” Remington said before hurrying to join Arlo and Sam.

Kahli didn’t argue, and she hurried to Mint, getting to her knees beside him. His head was wrapped in torn cloth, and it was damp where it had soaked up some blood on his forehead. Kahli’s brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Mint said nervously.

Kahli carefully pulled away the cloth, revealing the deep laceration. Fresh blood rolled down Mint’s cheek. Kahli glanced over her shoulder quickly, and sensing that they had a moment with the Civil Corps keeping the AI distracted, she tore at her own shirt to fashion a new bandage. She wrapped it around Mint’s head, then pressed forcefully against it with her palm. Mint winced and pulled back slightly.

“Keep pressure on it,” she instructed him. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

She moved her hand and Mint pressed against his wound. Kahli tightened the bandage as best as she could, glancing over her shoulder once more to check in on the fight.

At that moment, the AI lurched backwards, swinging one of its mechanical legs around. Kahli threw herself against Mint, knocking them both to the ground as the leg narrowly missed them and scraped against the back wall.

“Kahli!”

Kahli pulled at Mint’s wrist and they scrambled to their feet and into a sprint along the wall as another mechanical leg came crashing down behind them. Kahli pushed Mint ahead of her, spinning around on her heels and drawing her sword. Another one of the legs came crashing down, but she thrust her sword above her, blocking the blow. She stumbled under the weight of the machine, then with all her strength she pushed forward forcefully, dislodging the leg.

But the AI seemed distracted, no longer focused on her, and it spun around violently, its legs thrashing. In that moment, she saw Arlo on top, and he thrust his own sword into the top of the machine. It shuttered and groaned from the attack. Its broken, electrical components sparked. Arlo removed his sword, then jumped off just as the AI started to move erratically. It crashed against a wall, its legs flailing, before it toppled to the floor, finally silenced.

“Fuckin’ Light,” Kahli breathed out.

“Is everyone okay?” Arlo asked, looking around.

“Shit,” Sam spat. “What the fuck?”

They gathered around the AI, staring at it with mixed emotion on their faces.

“This must be what was causing the trembles,” Mint said.

“What is it?” Kahli asked.

“An AI machine lying dormant from the past, like something you’d find in the Peripheries,” Mint explained. “It must have been awakened by our drilling. Look at the marks it made on the ceiling. That must have been the source of the quakes.”

“Looks like we got here just in time,” Remington said. “We had to get through a lot of fillings just to get to this point. How did you end up here?”

“We were looking for a way out,” Sam said. “Mint thought there was a draft coming through here.”

“There.” Mint pointed to a small passageway at the other end of the cavern.

“Let’s get out of here,” Sam muttered. “I’ve had more than enough for one day.”


	29. Chapter 29

The path Mint had found brought the five of them out of the mine shafts and back into the arid desert where they found Mayor Gale, Dr. Xu, Gust, Albert, and Higgins. Arlo, Sam, and Mint took turns explaining what had happened and about the AI they had encountered.

“So that's what's causing the quakes,” Gale mused. “I can't believe there are still such dangerous things lurking about down there. I must write to Atara right away and have them send someone to check out the shafts below for any more danger.” He turned to Mint. “What about the tunnel? Can it still be salvaged?

“I think so,” Mint said. “I'll do an assessment, then get back to you.”

Gale nodded. “Well, I'm glad everyone's alright, that's the important thing.”

“How do you feel?” Dr. Xu asked, approaching Mint and removing the bandage to examine his wound.

“I’ve had better days,” Mint said.

Xu nodded. “You’re gonna need stitches,” he said.

Mayor Gale and Dr. Xu guided Mint to the awaiting vehicle, and the six of them climbed in.

“Make sure there isn’t anything more down there,” Gale said to Arlo. “If we’re going to continue construction, we can’t awaken anything else and have another mishap. No one goes in until it’s clear and we can clear the blockage.”

“Yes, sir,” Arlo said, and they watched as the vehicle drove out of sight.

“Well, that was exciting,” Remington commented.

Arlo turned his gaze to him, glaring angrily at him.

“Oh, come on,” Remington said. “I didn’t do anything!”

“I gave you strict orders -”

“Knock it off,” Kahli barked at him. “Come on, do you really think he let me waltz on in there?” She crossed her arms. “You should know better by now, Arlo. There was nothing he could do to stop me.”

Clearly Arlo wasn’t any happier with her. She could practically see his jaw tighten as he forced himself to remain calm. He turned away from them and whistled sharply. The horses - who had been picking on some stray tufts of greenery - came trotting toward them, and Arlo climbed onto Spacer. The other three followed suit, mounting their own horses silently, like children who were being punished.

“Way to go, Remi,” Sam muttered. “You know how he gets.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Remington hissed. “Tie her down somewhere?”

Kahli snorted. “Probably.”

“Would that have worked?” Sam asked.

“No,” Remington said dryly. “This is Kahli we’re talking about.”

Kahli smirked and nodded. “He’ll get over it.”

“Just leave me out of it,” Remington muttered.

“I told you I had your back,” Kahli reminded him. “I take full responsibility for myself and my actions.”

“It’s just a good thing you didn’t get yourself killed by an AI,” Sam said. “Or he’d have killed us all.”

“That’s sweet,” Kahli said.

Remington scoffed. “Yeah. Totally.”

Kahli pushed Star into a trot, catching up with Arlo and Spacer, then slowed to their pace.

“Are you going to sulk all day?”

“I’m not sulking,” Arlo snapped.

Kahli frowned. “Is this going to be a thing? Are we fighting?”

Arlo glanced at her. “Are you serious?”

Kahli sighed. “Come on. Don’t be mad.”

“Mad?” Arlo echoed. “Don’t be mad? You could have gotten killed!”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. “But I didn’t,” she muttered.

Spacer stopped, and Kahli pulled Star around to face them. They were silent as Remington and Sam passed them.

“Go, go, go,” Sam muttered to Remington. “Don’t stop or he’ll yell at us, too.”

But Kahli and Arlo ignored them until they were ahead of them.

“This doesn’t happen again,” Arlo said sternly.

Kahli raised a brow at him. “Excuse me? You can’t order me around.”

“Kahli -”

“I’m not one of your soldiers,” Kahli snapped.

“You’re right,” Arlo said. “You’re not. You had no business -”

“I thought you were dead!”

Arlo fell silent and his expression softened. He pulled his gaze away. “I never wanted you to worry.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “That’s what people do, Arlo. They worry. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. You could stay home all day long and I’d still find something to worry about.”

“This is different,” he said. “This is why -”

“Why what?” Kahli snapped. “What are you saying? You don’t want to be with me? Because that’s not going to stop me from worrying about you.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Arlo said between his teeth.

“Then enlighten me.”

Arlo met her gaze. “If something happened to me down there…”

“Stop,” Kahli hissed. “Don’t think you’re doing me any favors. I know the risk involved. There are risks everyday, Arlo. I’m not going to give up on someone I love just because I’m afraid of the risks. I’m not giving up any chance I have to be with you just because of a ‘what if.’”

“You’re right,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we should act recklessly. It’s my job, but it's not yours. If something happened to you, I’d never be able to live with myself. The least you can do is make my life easier.”

Kahli sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“I can’t focus on keeping myself alive if I’m too busy trying to keep you alive.”

“Alright. I know. I get it. I’m sorry.” She hesitated. “Please don’t be mad at Rem.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I’m sorry. I was just… scared.”

Kahli frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Arlo smiled. “It’s fine,” he said. “No one died. Everything is fine. Come on.” He kicked Spacer on once more and Star walked at his side. Ahead, Sam and Remington had stopped and were waiting for them.

“So,” Sam started when they reached them. “Am I still stuck on patrol tonight?”

Arlo shook his head.

Remington frowned. “Am I?”

“Nah,” Arlo said.

“Look at that,” Sam exclaimed. “You’re off the hook for almost getting Kahli killed!”

Remington slouched in his saddle. “Doubtful,” he muttered.

The four of them rode the rest of the way out of the desert, chatting casually until they reached town, then made their way to the clinic where they found Gale, Dr. Xu, Phyllis, and Mint. By then, Mint’s wound was stitched, cleaned, and bandaged, and it didn’t look nearly as bad as it did in the mine shafts.

“I really owe ya,” Mint said to Kahli. “Pretty sure you saved my life.”

“See?” She turned to Arlo. “It was a good thing I came, huh?”

Arlo crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

“I don’t want anyone in there until Mint has a chance to assess the tunnel,” Gale reminded them.

“You can go back to work in a few days,” Dr. Xu said. “Once that wound of yours closes up some.”

“Once it’s safe, we’ll go through it thoroughly to make sure there are no further dangers lurking about in there.”

“Who are you going to contact at Atara?” Remington asked.

“I’m going to request that Mali come out and help us inspect all the ruins surrounding Portia,” Gale said.

“Mali is with the Flying Pigs,” Sam explained to Kahli. She leaned in and crossed her arms. “Apparently he thinks this is out of our league.”

“Mali has a lot of experience with AIs and ruins,” Gale said. “And the three of you have enough to deal with as it is. She’ll simply be an extra set of hands to help us out around here.” He sighed. “And the fact of the matter is, we don’t know what other AIs may be lurking in those ruins. We don’t need another incident like today.”

Kahli frowned. She thought what happened in the mine shaft was just a freak accident. The thought that there could be other dangerous AIs around Portia made her stomach twist. Portia seemed so safe and quiet. Even though the Civil Corps patrolled day and night, she didn’t actually think there was any danger. The bandirats were more of a nuisance than anything. But corrupt killing machines?

She glanced at Arlo, but his gaze was on the floor, his arms crossed. Did he seem concerned? She couldn’t tell. She bit her lower lip. She hated the thought that he may be thrust into another similar situation as today. But there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing but stay out of the way and hope for the best.

“How much of a set back do you think this will be?” Gale asked Mint.

“From what I could see, I’m pretty confident it will still be finished by spring,” Mint said. “The damages seemed manageable.”

Gale smiled. “That’s good news,” he said. “Of course, there’s no rush. Let’s make sure this gets done safely.”

“If you don’t mind,” Dr. Xu started. “My clinic is small and my patient needs to rest.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Gale said, and he shooed the four of them out of the clinic, bidding Mint goodnight over his shoulder as they stepped outside.

“Another job well done,” Gale said to them with a nod. “I’ll be in touch when we’re ready to get back to work on the tunnel.” And with that, Gale left them alone.

It was late in the afternoon, and the sun had almost completely disappeared behind the horizon. Sam stretched her arms over her head and yawned loudly.

“Welp,” she started. “Who’s up for drinks?”

“Maybe one,” Remington said.

Sam met her gaze, but Kahli shook her head. “Rain check.”

Sam shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she said, then followed Remington toward the plaza.

Kahli turned to Arlo and frowned. He still seemed lost in thought. “What are you thinking?”

Arlo sighed and shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, then offered her a smile. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

Her lips pursed. “That just makes me worry,” she said.

“Don’t,” he said. “Everything’s fine.”

“Which is exactly what someone would say when everything is not fine.”

Arlo pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. “I promise,” he said. “Just stay out of trouble, please.”

“What more trouble could I get into?”

“That’s what I thought until today.” He pressed his forehead against her. “I can’t lose you.”

“I can’t lose you,” she said. She turned her face to him, met his gaze, and kissed him.

“I promise you won’t,” he said.

Kahli hesitated. “You can’t promise something like that,” she said. “You don’t know what other freak accidents could be in store.”

“I could say the same thing,” he pointed out. “One day, an asteroid might come crashing down and kill us all.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Well, sure, when you put it that way.”

Arlo smiled and kissed her. “Everything will be fine,” he said. “I promise.”


	30. Chapter 30

It was several days before construction in the desert resumed. After careful evaluation, Mint deemed the tunnels safe, and the blockage was cleared. The Civil Crops combed the tunnel progress and the nearby shafts, but they found no traces of anymore AIs or other creatures that could pose potential threats to the workers and the people of Portia.

Kahli was busying herself in the barn one morning when Mint appeared in the doorway.

“How’s the head?” Kahli asked as she tossed a few flakes of hay to Star.

Mint smiled. “It’s good,” he said. “Thanks.”

Kahli brushed her hands together. “You’re not planning on getting stuck in that tunnel again, are you?” She grinned.

“Ah, no,” Mint said sheepishly. “But I was hoping I could get your help.”

“Depends,” Kahli started. “I can’t exactly be saving you from anymore AIs. We have a Civil Corps for that.”

“Building related.”

“That is something I can help you with,” she said.

“I was hoping to get a driller to help speed up construction. We weren’t set back too much, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”

“I think I can manage that,” Kahli said.

“I’ve got some blueprints of what I had in mind.” Mint approached her at the table and spread out the prints. “Think you can do something like this?”

“Looks easy enough,” Kahli said. “I can probably have it for you in a couple days.”

Mint smiled. “Excellent. I knew I could count on you.”

“I know you have many options when it comes to builders,” Kahli said in a professional manner. “And we thank you for choosing Kahli Enterprises.”

Mint laughed. “Well, I’d much rather give you the job than Higgins.”

“Playing favorites, are we?”

Mint’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. “Well, you did save my life.”

“Hardly,” Kahli said. “I just pulled you out of the way from a crazy AI.”

“That sounds pretty heroic, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, I guess I am a hero. I like the sound of that.”

Mint laughed. “Cool,” he said. “I gotta get back. But thanks for your help.”

Kahli saluted him playfully. When he left, she turned her attention to the blueprints, examining them for a moment. She gathered them up, then headed into the workshop where she set to work on Mint’s request.

As usual, she lost track of time as she set to work, and it was late at night when Arlo finally investigated, finding her still working away.

“Do you ever sleep?”

Kahli looked up from her workbench, her brows knit together. “What? Sleep?” She looked around her. “What time is it?”

“Almost midnight.”

Kahli sighed and straightened. She stretched her arms, then tightened her ponytail. Her nose wrinkled and she sniffed.

“Oh, man,” she said. “I smell like fire and grease.”

Arlo grinned. “That’s hot.” He moved to the workbench and looked over the blueprints. “What are you working on?”

“A driller for Mint,” Kahli said. “Should speed up construction on the tunnel.”

“Seems like something he could have just gotten at Vega 5,” Arlo commented.

Kahli shrugged. “An exchange for saving his life,” she said. She smirked at Arlo. “I’m kind of a hero, you know.”

Arlo scoffed. “Someone’s got a big head.”

“It’s just nice to be recognized for who I really am. I’ll be the next Peach. Saving Portia from ruin, one rogue AI at a time.”

Arlo laughed. “I guess you found your calling.”

“Nah. Don’t want to step on your toes.” She winked at him. “But I really need a shower.” She pressed her lips against his and met his gaze. “Wanna help?”

*****

It only took Kahli a couple days to finish the driller, and she dropped it off to Mint as soon as it was finished. The Civil Corps alternated posts in the desert, overseeing the work to ensure that construction could continue safely. Arlo stood beside Mint as the driller began its first day of work, and Mint grinned happily.

“With this, we should be finished in no time,” he said. “As long as things run smoothly.”

“If anything goes wrong, it won’t be because of an AI, I can assure you of that,” Arlo said.

“I really owe you guys,” Mint said.

“That’s what we do.”

Mint hesitated. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You seem close with Kahli,” Mint commented.

Arlo nodded as if considering this. “I suppose one could say that,” he remarked.

“Do you know if she’s seeing anyone?”

Arlo blinked at him. “What?”

Mint blushed. “She’s really smart, and pretty, and fearless.” He shrugged. “I dunno. I was just thinking of asking her out.”

“Oh, you’re serious.”

Mint glanced at him and his brows furrowed. “Is she? Seeing someone?”

Arlo hesitated. “Yeah.”

“Right,” he said. “Of course she is. She’s too pretty to be single.” He sighed. “I’ve just never seen her hanging around anyone except -” He stopped suddenly and his cheeks warmed.

“Yup.”

“Oh.” Mint looked around anxiously as if searching for a way to change the topic. The sound of hooves, however, turned their attention to Kahli as she rode over to them.

“Hey,” she greeted Mint cheerfully. “How’s that driller working out?”

“It’s, uh, great. I mean. It’s fine. It’s good.”

Kahli’s brows furrowed. “Are you sure? If there’s something wrong -”

“Nope,” Mint said quickly. “It’s perfect. You’re - It’s cool. Good job. Thanks.”

Kahli glanced at Arlo. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and seemingly stifling a laugh.

“Uh, alright,” Kahli said slowly. “Well, anything I can do to help. You know where to find me.”

“No, I don’t. I mean. Right. Yes. Thank you. I think I’m good. Actually, you know what? I think we can call it quits for the day, yeah? I’ll just go let the guys know.”

Kahli watched him walk briskly over to the construction workers, confusion on her face.

“Was that weird?” she asked Arlo.

Arlo mounted Spacer and turned him around. Kahli and Star trotted to catch up with them.

“Little bit,” Arlo said.

“What happened?” She frowned. “Did I upset him?”

“Uh, no,” Arlo said. “I think I did.”

“What did you do to him?”

“Crushed his dreams, apparently.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He asked me if you were seeing anyone.”

“What?” Kahli laughed. “No way. You’re fucking with me.”

“Honest,” he said. “He then proceeded to tell me that you’re smart and pretty and fearless and he wanted to ask you out.”

Kahli stared at him in silence for a moment. “What did you say?”

“I said you were seeing someone.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “You didn’t happen to mention it was you?”

“He figured it out.”

“Oh.” She glanced over her shoulder, but she couldn’t see Mint. “Seriously?”

“Should I go back and tell him you’re interested?”

Kahli smiled. “What? No.” She laughed. “No. I just. No one’s ever been interested in me before.”

“Right,” Arlo said. “I’m clearly not.”

“I mean,” she started. “Now there’s two!”

“Oh, so now I’m not enough for you?”

Kahli smirked at him. “Don’t worry; you’re more than enough.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Arlo said.

“Good. That’s how I meant it.” She blew her hair out of her face. “Oh, man. I can’t believe he didn’t know.” She hesitated. “Do we not act coupley enough?”

“Coupley?” Arlo echoed. “How do we act coupley?”

“The spark is gone, isn’t it?”

Arlo laughed. “Seems so.”

“You’re going to start ‘Yes Dearing’ me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Darling.”

“It’s the beginning of the end,” she said. “There’s nothing left for us but death.”

“You should get out while you still can.”

“I hear Mint is interested,” Kahli said thoughtfully. 

“You should know that I’ll probably return with a grand gesture of my love.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet. And I’ll admit that I’ve always loved you.”

“So, can we skip all that drama?”

“Might as well,” Kahli said. “It sounds like a lot of work, anyway.”

“I’m happy with you, too, Darling.”

Kahli laughed. “But, you know,” she started. “I’m pretty and smart and fearless. The trifecta, apparently. So you better tie this down quick if you don’t want anyone else to scoop me up.”

Star tossed her head with a nicker and they trotted ahead, leaving Arlo and Spacer to catch up. Arlo watched as she turned her horse around to wait for them. She grinned at Arlo, then leaned down to pat Star’s neck, cooing to her. When she met his gaze, Arlo smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes part one!  
> Which I just decided now because this fic has ended up way longer than I anticipated (I've still got potentially 2 more parts here of about the same length...) So I decided, since this is the end of 'year 1' that I'll just call it part one.  
> To most people, that would mean I'm taking a small break with the fic. But this is unlikely as I'm already several chapters into part 2, with the entirety of the fic already plotted out (including a post-game storyline). And with the state of the world right now, writing has been a huge help for me. I hope my fic has provided some relief to some of you, too, which is why I will not be taking any kind of hiatus. We all need an escape from reality now and then.  
> And as always, thank you for your continued support. <3


	31. [Part 2]

The rest of the winter went on without further incident, and slowly, the air warmed. Winter melted into spring, bringing with it green grass and budding trees. Flowers sprouted from the ground, drinking in the spring rain and opening their petals to the warmth of the sun. Kahli, too, felt a renewed energy. Though she had learned to find joy in the cold, dark winter, she was grateful for the return of the warm weather she was accustomed to.

The tunnel had been completed, and further developments were started at South Block. It had been a while since Kahli had seen Mint, who seemed extra preoccupied with his work in the desert after the slight mishap with Arlo, but she bumped into him at the Commerce Guild.

“Ah, Kahli,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“More heroic adventures?”

Mint blushed slightly. “I promise that there will be no misadventures this time around.”

“I kinda like the misadventures,” she said with a smile. “What can I help you with?

“Albert has asked me to hook up South Block to Portia's power grid. But it turns out that the grid can't support South Block without shorting all the fuses. We're going to have to find another way to generate electricity for the new town. The Mayor suggested we add another power station over there, but that'll stretch Portia's Power Stones supplies. After some consideration, I think we should try wind-power. The strong winds coming in from the sea should be able to sustain several generators in the Eufaula Heights area. I know they use lots of these in Highwind, but it's not like we have the budget to import any. Do you think you can build a few for us?”

“I’ll give it a try,” Kahli replied.

Mint smiled. “That's all I'm asking for. I’m not familiar with wind power, though, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer you much help.”

“I know a couple of smart ladies that probably could,” she said.

“Cool. I knew I could count on you.” Mint bid her a goodbye, leaving her and Antoine alone.

“That guy is crushing hard,” Antoine said.

“What?”

Antoine rolled his eyes. “Don’t play dumb. I know what he said to Arlo.” He grinned.

“Leave him alone,” Kahli said. “I’m sure he feels weird enough about it.”

“He’s really cute. More my type than Arlo.”

“Then go get him,” Kahli said. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Yeah you do. He’ll give you all the work.”

“Goodbye, Antoine,” Kahli called over her shoulder. She stepped out into the plaza and quickly made her way to the Research Center where she found Petra and Merlin.

“Hey, Kahli,” Petra said cheerfully. “What brings you over here?”

“What do you think?” Merlin muttered. “Does anyone ever come by just to say hi?”

“I do,” Kahli said. “But, yeah. I need your help with something.”

Petra smiled. “Ignore her. She’s cranky. What’s up?”

“Mint has asked me to build a wind powered generator to get power up at South Block. Got any suggestions?”

Petra’s brows furrowed. “I’ll have to do a little research,” she said. “It’s not something I’m familiar with. Can you give me until tomorrow?”

“No rush,” Kahli said. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Petra said.

*****

The next evening, after not hearing from Petra, Kahli returned to the Research Center to check in on things. When she entered, Petra was bent over a table, several books and notebooks spread out and open before her. She jumped when Kahli entered, then sighed and rubbed her head.

“I'm sorry,” she started. “I have yet to complete my research on these wind generators just yet, even with Merlin's help. We're lacking a vital piece of information; how to get the rotational speed of the generator up to capacity. The current rotor speed calculations won't give us enough electrical current. I'm going to keep researching to see if I can solve this.” She paused in thought. “Though, if I remember correctly, Phyllis is from Highwind. I thought she was a specialist in this area. Maybe she knows something we don't?

“Phyllis,” Kahli said. “Got it. I’ll check with her. Don’t work too hard.”

Petra laughed nervously. “Ha, ha, never.”

Kahli quickly made her way to the clinic, following Petra’s lead and finding Phyllis inside. She quickly explained her predicament.

“Wind power?” Phyllis echoed. “For South Block? I'd love to help you out, but I'm not exactly on talking terms with my family.” She shrugged. “Besides, they're silversmiths. I'm not sure how much help they'd be. You should be talking with Nora instead.”

“Nora?”

“Yeah, her family owns the Highwind Electric Company, so I'm pretty sure she knows everything there's to know about generators.”

Kahli sighed. “Right. Nora. Got it.”

She thanked Phyllis, then left the clinic. It had been a while since she seemed to be running around town for everyone. As she made her way to the church, she mused to herself. It seemed surreal that she had already been in Portia for a real. And yet, it felt like she had been there her entire life.

She found Nora inside the church, just as she expected, and Nora greeted her with a warm smile.

“Good to see you, Kahli,” Nora said. “I don’t think you’ve ever been up here.”

Kahli hesitated. “Yeah, uh. I’m uh, not much into… well…”

“It’s okay,” Nora said. “What can I do for you?”

“Actually,” Kahli started. “I heard that you may have some experience with wind power. We’re trying to get power up over at South Block, and I was hoping for your expertise.”

Nora’s smile grew. “Oh, of course,” she said. “It’s really not too difficult. All you -”

“Wait, Nora,” Lee interrupted. His gaze narrowed on Kahli as he approached them. “You cannot help with this corrupted project.”

Nora’s brows furrowed. “What? Why not?”

“Nora, you became a missionary because of your family's position on technology, right? If you help with this, how are you different from them?”

Nora was quiet, her gaze turned to the floor.

“That's all I'm going to say on this subject,” Lee said sternly. “You need to think about it and decide.” He turned his hard gaze to Kahli for a moment before turning away and leaving them alone in the church.

“What did he mean by your family's position?” Kahli asked

“I came on this mission because I strongly believe that what my family's doing isn't right,” Nora explained. “My father runs a major business in Highwind, and his company makes machines of war.”

“There's nothing dangerous about generators,” Kahli pointed out.

“Generators are just a type of relics that we dig up from the ruins. On one hand, they can give us power, and I am truly thankful for it, but they can also be utilized for war. I've seen my family install generators directly into armored planes. Now, I'm not naïve enough to think that we don't need any weapons at all, but after three hundred years of darkness, it makes me mad that the first thing we do once we get back on our feet is start shooting at each other.”

Kahli’s lips twisted to the side. “Yeah, I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”

Nora shook her head. “No, I think the Minister is wrong in this instance. I know you're doing this for the benefit of Portia. Petra's missing piece is a gear box device. I'll go with you and explain it to you both.”

“Thank you,” Kahli said. “Will this be okay? I don’t want to put you into a bad position with Minister Lee.”

“Don't worry,” Nora assured her. “The Minister will come around once he sees the result.”

Together, Kahli and Nora left the church and made their way to the Research Center.

“Can you believe we’ve been here a year already?” Nora said.

“That’s right,” Kahli replied. “I forgot you weren’t here long before me.”

Nora smiled. “It was nice to have another new person around,” she said. “I didn’t feel quite so alone.”

“Have you decided what you’ll do after?”

“I’ll have to return home after my mission,” Nora said. “But I think I’d like to come back to Portia when I can.”

“I think you should,” Kahli said. “You’ve talked a lot of sense into me over the last year. I think I might be lost without you.”

Nora laughed. “I don’t think so. You just needed to find yourself. I think everything worked out just as it should, you know?”

Kahli nodded. “I didn’t give this place enough credit in the beginning,” she said. “But I’m glad I stuck it out.”

“I told you everything would work out, didn’t I? To be honest, I’ve never seen Arlo so happy. I think he was just as lost as you were. I’m really glad you guys found each other.”

“Ah, well.” Kahli hesitated. “Thanks.”

They stepped into the Research Center, and once more, Petra jumped, her nose still buried in her notes. She looked up and her brows furrowed.

“That’s not Phyllis.”

“No,” Kahli said. “Turns out Nora is the expert on wind-power.”

“Well, I dunno about expert,” Nora said sheepishly.

“I’ll take ‘I read about it in a book once’ at this point,” Petra said. She sighed heavily. “I’m at a total loss, here.”

Nora moved to the table and looked over Petra’s notes. She pointed to a few diagrams. “What you need is a gear box,” she said.

Nora spent the next hour reviewing notes and diagrams with Petra. Kahli made herself comfortable on the nearby couch, leaning her head back over the arm, watching them upside down as she worked. They had just reached their lightbulb moment when the door opened and Arlo entered. His gaze moved from Petra to Nora, to Kahli.

“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?”

Kahli smiled, still regarding him upside down. “I’m letting the brains do all the work.”

“I’m hardly a brain,” Nora said. She smiled at Arlo. “They’re just using me for my connections.”

“Connections?”

“We’re hooking up South Block with wind power,” Kahli said.

Arlo nodded. “Right. Makes sense. Nora would know about that.”

“At least I’m good for something.” She hesitated. “Just don’t tell Lee.”

Arlo zipped his lips. “What a rebel.”

Kahli sat up, then sat on the arm of the couch.

“This should work,” Petra said. She gathered the papers and handed them to Kahli. 

“Should being the key,” Kahli said.

“It will work,” Nora confirmed. “As long as you do it right.”

“Oh, sure,” Kahli said. “We all know I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You made it this far,” Petra said.

“She’s faking it like the rest of us,” Merlin said, buried in her own corner of research.

“Comforting,” Arlo said.

Kahli jumped to her feet. “Leave it to me.”


	32. Chapter 32

Kahli spent the rest of the week working on the wind turbine and generators, and with the help of Albert, Gust, and Mint and his crew, the turbines were set up at South Block, successfully bringing power to the new town.

As Kahli headed towards home, she found Arlo, Sam, and Remington just outside of the central plaza, and she made her way towards them curiously.

“Kahli,” Sam greeted. “Petra told me you owe her a drink. I told her we’d meet her at the bar tonight.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kahli said. “I guess I did tell her that.”

“I think you owe me a drink, too,” Remington said.

“I think you owe me a drink,” Kahli pointed out. “I took the blame for you back in the mine shafts.”

“In that case,” Arlo said, “Rem definitely owes me a drink, too.”

“Dammit,” Remington muttered. “How did I get roped in to buying everyone’s drinks?”

The sound of a distant engine caught their attention. They looked up as a plane came in low, flying over the Portia River and landing in the fields a few yards away from them. After a moment, the engine cut, and a woman exited the plane.

“Look who it is,” she said with a grin. “My favorite Civil Corps officers.”

“Mali,” Arlo said in greeting. “Glad you made it.”

Mali crossed her arms. “What’s up with you these days?” she said. “I didn’t see you in Lucien last fall.”

Arlo hesitated, but Sam answered for him.

“Something more important came up,” Sam said, and she winked at Kahli.

Kahli’s brows furrowed. She glanced at Arlo, but he was avoiding her gaze.

“More important than the Flying Pigs?” Mali said. She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”

Sam stepped forward and put her arm around Kahli. “This is Kahli.”

“Kahli? Oh!” Mali grinned. “Well, whadda ya know? Nice to meet ya, Kahli.”

“Uh, sure. You too.”

“Isn’t she adorable?” Sam pinched her cheek.

“What is happening?” Kahli muttered.

“Mayor Gale will be happy to see you,” Arlo said quickly.

“Oh, I’m sure he will be,” Mali said. “I guess I’ll go find him. I’ll catch up with you guys later tonight.”

“Remi’s buying the beer,” Sam said.

“Excellent.” Mali clapped Remington on the shoulder. “See ya tonight.”

When Mali was out of earshot, Kahli turned to Arlo. “You didn’t go to Lucien?”

“So, beer tonight,” Sam said. She pulled at Remington’s arm. “Let’s ditch this awkward moment while we can.”

Kahli frowned and watched as Sam and Remington made their escape. She turned back to Arlo, meeting his gaze.

“No. I didn’t go to Lucien,” he said.

“Why not?”

Arlo offered her a crooked smile.

She blinked at him. “Because of me?”

Arlo shrugged.

“Wait, we weren’t even together then.”

“Yeah.”

“So then -”

“I told you,” Arlo said. “I wanted to stay here and be with you.”

“Well,” Kahli started. “It seems like I just ruined everything.”

Arlo kissed her cheek. “The opposite.”

Kahli’s lips pursed. “I don’t want to be the reason -”

“We already discussed this,” Arlo said. “I made my decision on my own.”

“So, that’s it?” Kahli met his gaze. “No Flying Pigs?”

“That’s it.”

“Mali seems disappointed.”

Arlo laughed. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I was a pain in her ass.”

“Wait. Were you guys a thing?”

“God, no.”

“Wow,” Kahli said. “Okay. I mean, I think she’s pretty. Probably more your type than I am. At least you guys have something in common.”

Arlo kissed her lips. “Are you done?”

Kahli smiled and met his gaze. “Maybe. After you buy me a beer.”

“Rem’s got it covered.”

“Rem’s not my boyfriend!”

“So, that makes me obligated to buy you stuff?”

“You’re new at this, huh?”

Arlo smiled. “Anything for you, Darling.”

*****

That evening, everyone gathered in Peach Plaza for a town meeting where Mayor Gale introduced Mali.

“This here is Mali of the Flying Pigs,” he said. “She's the inspector sent by the Alliance government to inspect the ruins around here and see if there are any more Old World creatures running about. The last run-in we had was especially dangerous, I think we would all agree.”

”We should have done this a long time ago,” Martha commented.

“Are there reasons to suspect there are more corrupted machines out there?” Mars asked.

But Toby’s voice was the loudest. “Are you really from the Flying Pigs?!”

Mayor Gale hesitated as the town started to murmur amongst each other. “Eh... well, we…”

“Let me, Mr. Mayor,” Mali offered. She stepped forward and smiled. “First, hello to everyone. I'm Mali. I want to point out that there is no evidence that there are more dangerous AI machines out in the ruins around Portia, so no one panic. Everything's fine, your Civil Corps team has done a bang up job of making sure of that. At the same time, we have to be mindful of the surroundings so that we don't run into another incident like the one in the Eufaula Desert again. My job here is to systematically check all the known ruins around these parts to see if there still are any serious dangers lurking about. Along with the Civil Corps, we'll also investigate any ruins that haven't been explored yet. That's all from me, any questions?”

“Is that your plane from outside?!” Toby asked excitedly.

“Yep,” she responded proudly. “It's a RS-001, one of the last of its kind. A beauty!

“Wow!”

“If you find any AI machines, what are you going to do with them?” Petra asked.

“I guess we'll assess the situation and see,” Mali said. “If it's too dangerous for the people here, we'll have to destroy it.”

“Just so that we're clear,” Mayor Gale warned, “I don't want people heading into the ruins lookin' for trouble! Especially you, Toby! Inspector Mali's work will begin immediately, so there’s no need to worry. Let the professionals do their work.”

Mayor Gale concluded the meeting, and the crowd slowly dispersed. Toby continued to pepper Mali with questions until Martha finally pulled him away. Kahli, Arlo, Sam, and Remington stood together, and Mali approached them cheerfully.

“So, it’s beer-thirty, right? Rem’s buying?”

“Seems that way,” Remington said with a sigh.

Mali led the way into the Round Table where they took seats at the bar. Inside, Emily and Petra were already waiting.

“Excellent,” Petra said, clapping her hands together. “I needed this drink.”

“Full house tonight,” Django said to Sonia. “Make sure they behave, hm?”

“We always do!” Sam said.

Sonia worked quickly at getting them their drinks, and they chatted among themselves, their voices nearly lost in the sea of conversations in the packed restaurant. 

“So,” Mali started, sitting beside Arlo. “You traded the Flying Pigs for a girl? I’m surprised. I never would have expected that from you.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t know Arlo very well.” Sam pushed herself between them. “And you don’t know Kahli, either.”

“She must be something special.” Mali grinned.

Sam shrugged. “She’s alright.” She leaned over Arlo. “Right, Kahl?”

Kahli turned to them. “What did I do this time?”

Mali laughed. “You took my favorite guy away.”

“Oh.” Kahli hesitated. “I’m greedy like that.”

“You know,” Mali said to Arlo. “I give you a hard time, but you’ve got potential.”

“He’s not interested,” Sam snapped at her.

“Simmer down,” Arlo muttered. He offered Mali an apologetic smile. “Don’t poke my guard dogs.”

Mali grinned. She held up her hands defensively. “I get it,” she said. “I would never break up your group here. You can keep him. I’m glad he’s finally found something else to focus his energy on.”

“Thanks, I think,” Kahli said.

“So, Kahli,” Mali started. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Uh.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “She’s such an intellectual.” She returned to her seat beside Emily.

Kahli shook her head. “Not much to say,” she said. “I moved here last year from Barnarock. My father left me this place.”

Mali nodded and paused to drink. “Your father lived here?”

“Um. For a time,” Kahli said. “After he dumped me on my aunt and took off to chase ruins or something.”

“Ah.” Mali shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry.”

Arlo grinned. “She enjoys making people uncomfortable.”

“Thanks for taking away my fun,” Kahli said.

“I knew a few people around here,” Mali said. “Who was he?”

“His name’s Maurice.”

“Hm.” Mali nodded and drank.

“Did you know him?”

“Don’t think so,” Mali said, though her smile had disappeared. “Barnarock, you said?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Pretty different from Portia,” she said, though she seemed less interested in their casual conversation.

“Yup.”

Mali finished her drink, stood, and her smile returned. “Early night for me. Thanks for the beer, Rem.”

Remington sighed and lifted his glass to her. “Welcome back, Mali.”

When Mali left, Kahli turned to Arlo. “Was that weird?”

“What?”

“You weren’t paying attention.”

Arlo shrugged. 

Kahli looked to the door. “It seemed like maybe she knew my father at one point.”

“Mali knows a lot of people,” Arlo said. “If he’s been running around ruin diving or whatever, there’s a good chance they bumped into one another.”

“Maybe,” Kahli said. “But it seems like she knows something.”

Arlo met her gaze. “What’s there to know?”

Kahli looked down at the counter. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s not like I know anything about him.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Arlo said. “If it was important, she would tell you.”

Kahli hesitated. “I guess you’re right.”


	33. Chapter 33

Kahli didn’t see Mali for the next several days. Even Arlo, Sam, and Remington had been scarce, busy assisting Mali with some of the ruins in the area. But Arlo made sure to check in with her when he could, and she tried not to worry.

It was a particularly warm spring morning when Kahli saw Mali again. She had just finished up around the barn when she saw Mali waving to her.

“I need your help,” Mali said. “There's a doorway in the ruins atop of the Western Plateau that I just can't get open. I think there are a couple of broken motors involved. Do you think you could give me a hand?”

“I think I’ve got a couple motors lying around I could spare,” Kahli said.

“I should warn you,” Mali said. “The ruin is crawling with creatures. It might be dangerous.”

Kahli frowned. “Does Arlo know you’re asking me?”

Mali smiled. “Come on, I’m not an idiot. I know he’s pretty protective of you. And I also know you can hold your own, which is why I didn’t bother to ask Higgins. Besides, I don’t need Arlo’s permission.”

Kahli hesitated. “I kind of promised to stay out of trouble.”

“You’ll be with me,” Mali said. “There won’t be any issue. And I’d rather not have to babysit anyone. You’re the only one I can ask.”

“You’re right,” Kahli said.

Mali laughed. “I know. Meet me at the ruins when you’ve got ‘em.”

Kahli was hesitant, but she dug through her workshop for the motors Mali would need. It was her job to help, after all. Surely Arlo wouldn’t be upset with her for that. She couldn’t just stop doing her job because there might be danger involved.

She pushed her worries aside and quickly made her way to the ruins where Mali waited, and together, they entered the ruins.

“There aren't too many dangerous creatures in here,” Mali said. “But still, stay close to me and you'll be okay.”

Kahli stayed at Mali’s side, following her as they navigated the ruins.

“I’ve gotta say,” Mali started. “I was really surprised when Arlo didn’t show up for the Flying Pigs test. He had been determined to get in for years. I didn’t think anything would change his mind.”

Kahli didn’t know how to respond to that, and Mali seemed to sense her hesitance.

“Not that that’s a bad thing,” she said quickly. “In fact, I’m happy for him. It seems like he found something that makes him happy. Certainly happier than he would have been with the Flying Pigs.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Do you doubt him?”

Kahli shrugged. “I just didn’t want to be the reason he gave up on something he worked his whole life for.”

“I don’t think he’s giving up,” she said. “People change, you know?”

“I guess.”

“What about you? You said you came here from Barnarock?”

“Yes,” Kahli said. “My father told me about this place. Said he wanted me to have the house.”

“So, you’re a builder like him?”

“I guess. I didn’t know he ever lived here. I don’t know much about him after he left.”

Mali frowned. “Why did he leave?”

“He left after my mother died,” Kahli explained. “Guess he decided he couldn’t be around me after that or something.”

“I’m sure that’s not it.”

“Why do you care?”

“I’m sorry,” Mali said. “Just like to get to know the people I work with. And I have a feeling we’ll be working together a lot.”

They stopped in front of a closed, locked door.

“This is the door that won't open,” Mali said. “And the motors are over there.”

Kahli set to work fixing the motors, but when she finished, the door still did not open.

“O...kay,” Mali started. “Maybe that wasn't it. Damn!” She paused, looking the door over. “There's probably a lock release somewhere, let's go find it.”

They searched the room for a few minutes. Kahli moved down the hallway, finding a switch.

“Is this it?”

Mali moved to her side and examined it closely. “Only one way to find out,” she said, and she pressed it. The door clicked unlocked and opened, revealing their entrance into the next room. In the center of the room was a large machine that Kahli did not recognize.

“Would you look at that!”

“What is it?” Kahli asked.

“It's a computer of some sort, and it's preserved pretty well. Maybe it'll even work. Let's see…” Mali moved toward the computer. She tapped a few buttons and the computer turned on.

“All Source?” Mali read the screen. But at that moment, red lights began flashing and an alarm sounded loudly.

“Shit,” Mali hissed. “It seems like we triggered something. Let's get out of here!”

Mali picked up the computer and Kahli quickly followed her out of the room. The alarm, however, activated several traps, blocking off sections of the ruin and hindering their escape.

“This way,” Mali said, pulling at Kahli’s wrist and leading her through a hallway of moving spikes and flamethrowers.

“This seems like exactly the thing that will piss off Arlo,” Kahli muttered.

“Let’s try not to do that, then,” Mali said. “Stay close and follow me exactly.”

Mali waited, carefully timing each step, and with Kahli close at her side, the two of them navigated through the hallway and onto the other side. Their exit, however, was also blocked off. Kahli followed Mali quickly into the next open room, which they found was occupied by a large, pig-shaped AI.

“Why is it always robots?” Kahli muttered.

“This’ll be a piece of cake,” Mali said confidently, and she ran ahead toward the AI.

Kahli didn’t quite know what to make of Mali. She was nosey, to say the least, but confident and brave, for sure. Strong willed, but level headed. Perhaps it had to do with being in the Flying Pigs. She supposed they’d need people like her. It wasn’t necessarily a bad trait, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that Mali knew something she didn’t.

Kahli sighed and drew her sword. She didn’t have much experience fighting AIs. In fact, the first and last AI she had encountered, she mainly focused on keeping the hell out of the way. She watched Mali battle the AI for a moment, then did her best to copy her tactics. 

“Think you can distract it?” Mali said. “Keep it busy and I should be able to shut it down.”

Kahli nodded, and Mali disengaged, running around the machine to flank it. Kahli focused on keeping the AI’s attention, throwing herself in front of the AI and waving her sword. She slashed at the AI’s legs, doing her best to be as annoying as possible. The AI stumbled backwards in an attempt to keep Kahli from under it, but the distraction was just enough. Mali climbed onto the AI’s back and began slashing away at the exposed wires. The wires sparked and caught fire, and Mali jumped down as the AI dropped to the ground, silence.

“What I tell ya?” Mali said, clapping her hands together. “Piece. Of. Cake.”

They moved into the next room where they found another switch. Upon pressing it, they heard a door open, and they backtracked to the main room where their exit had opened up to them. They stepped outside into the warm, early afternoon sun.

“Well, that was exciting,” Mali said.

“It was something,” Kahli said.

Mali grinned. “Let’s take this back to the Research Center and see if they can work their magic. This All Source thing might be important.”

*****

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Petra stared wide-eyed at the computer that Mali and Kahli brought to her.

“You know what All Source is?” Kahli asked.

“Yes! I've been searching for it for so long! And this looks like it's a location identifier for the All Source AI.” Petra frowned. “Unfortunately, we don't have a passcode key. It seems to be a physical key as there's a slot for it on the computer itself.” She pointed to the slot on the computer, then turned to Kahli. “Could you please stay on the lookout for it when you go ruin diving around here? If you find it, please give it to me and I'll be your best friend forever and ever!”

Kahli laughed. “Petra, I wouldn’t dare give it to anyone else,” she said.

“I trust you’ll keep this safe,” Mali said.

“Of course,” Petra said. “I wouldn’t dare let it out of my sight.”

“Excellent.” Mali turned to Kahli. “Thanks for your help today.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kahli said. “I was home all day.”

Mali winked at her, then left the Research Center.

“What was all that about?” Petra asked.

“Alro doesn’t know I was helping Mali.”

“And he’d be mad about that?”

“Probably.”

“Wow, keeping secrets from your boyfriend.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. I already feel guilty, jeez. He’s just so damn overprotective sometimes.”

“Did you run into another AI?”

“No,” Kahli said slowly.

Petra sighed and shook her head. “And you wonder why he’s overprotective. You have a knack of finding trouble.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kahli said. “Do you want that key or not?”

“Well, not at the expense of your relationship!”

“It won’t be,” Kahli assured her. “I’ll have Arlo keep an eye out for it, alright?”

“I guess,” Petra said. “But don’t be starting this secret keeping shit with Arlo.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

She stayed true to her promise. Too well, in fact, caving just as soon as she left the Research Center. In Peach Plaza, she ran into Mali and Arlo, discussing Mali’s latest find in the ruins.

“I went into the ruins with Mali,” Kahli blurted out.

The two stared at her for a moment, then Mali turned to Arlo.

“She’d never hold up to being tortured, would she?”

Kahli frowned. “Please don’t torture me.”

Mali laughed. “See ya later,” she said before leaving them alone.

Kahli turned her gaze to her ground. “Arlo -”

“I know.”

She met his gaze. “You do?”

“Mali asked me if I knew someone who could help her,” he said. “I told her you were the best.”

“Oh.” Kahli hesitated. “Why would you tell her that?”

“Because you are,” he said. “Unlike Higgins, you wouldn’t be a burden to her.”

“She said she didn’t tell you.”

“She didn’t,” Arlo said. “But I had a feeling she would ask you.”

“But I promised you I wouldn’t get involved.”

“You didn’t,” he said. “Mali asked for your expertise. There’s no way either of you could have known anything would happen. Shit happens, right?” He offered her a smile. “Besides. Mali is in the Flying Pigs. You’re far safer with her than any of us.”

“Oh.” She paused and bit her lower lip. “You’re being really reasonable.”

“Do you think I’m unreasonable?”

“I guess not,” she said. “But I expected… more.”

“I’m trying to be unbiased here.”

“That can’t be easy.”

“It’s not.”

Kahli smiled. “So, if she needs my help again…”

“I can’t tell you what to do.”

“But I would take your feelings into consideration.”

“I know. And I trust that Mali wouldn’t ask you to do anything she didn’t think you could handle. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I don’t want to upset you.”

“Just be careful, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She hesitated. “Do you really believe that? That I would be safer with her?”

“She’s in the Flying Pigs,” Arlo said frankly. “I think that goes without saying. And of the three of us, Rem is the only one who’s seen any real action. I’d even say you’d be better off running ruins with him over me or Sam.”

“Oh. Sure.”

Arlo pulled his gaze away. “I’ve got patrol tonight,” he said. “I’ll see you later?”

Kahli nodded. “Mhm.”

“Let me know when you run off with Mali again,” he said.

“Yeah.”

He pulled her into him and kissed her, then pulled away and made his way toward the Civil Corps building. Kahli looked up, noticing then that Mali was watching her. Mali smiled and gestured for her to come to her.

“Walk with me,” she said, and they left the plaza, walking down the road.

“I may not know Arlo that well, but anyone with half a brain can see how much he loves you. And I’m going to tell you something he’ll never admit.” Mali paused. “You are his greatest weakness. As long as you’re involved, he can’t be involved. He’s a smart guy and he knows this. That’s why I haven’t said much to him. I may need your help again, and it may be just as dangerous. Don’t take it to heart when he says he can’t protect you. I’m certain he’d give his life for you. But that doesn’t exactly do anyone any good, now, does it? He’d act recklessly if he knew you were in danger, and in turn, he would likely endanger anyone else involved. It’s not like he’d do it on purpose. Love makes a person do stupid shit sometimes. We don’t always think as clearly as we should when someone we love is in trouble. That’s just human nature. Arlo knows this, and he’s doing the right thing by distancing himself. He’ll always worry about you, and I’m sure he hates to do this. But it’s safer for you. For everyone.”

They stopped in front of Kahli’s house and Mali continued.

“I promised Arlo, and I promise you; I would never put you in a situation I didn’t think you could handle. But you can do things I can’t, and when it comes to these ruins, I’ll need all the help I can get. But in the end, that’s your decision. No one can decide for you. If you’d rather step back from this all, I will understand.”

Kahli shook her head. “I’ve been pretty helpless most of my life,” she said. “I want to help however I can. I knew there would be risk, even when I first came here. That’s why I did what I could to prepare myself. I know I’m not exactly Civil Corps level -”

“No one said that,” Mali said. “In fact, I’d say you could easily join their ranks if you wanted to.”

Kahli scoffed. “Right. That would go over well.”

Mali smiled. “I’m confident in your ability to defend yourself,” she said. “That’s why I came to you for help. I won’t have to worry about you if shit goes south.” She shrugged. “But Arlo’s right, too. I am the best person you’ll want to be around when it does. Anyway. Thanks for your help today. If I need anything more, I’ll let you know.”


	34. Chapter 34

It was after midnight; her favorite time of the night. The late nighters who closed down the bar had returned home and were likely tucked in their beds, sleeping peacefully. The world was still. It wasn’t hot and dry, a chill in the air, but Kahli didn’t mind. She pulled her blanket tighter around her and lay back against the roof to gaze upon the stars.

“I had a feeling you’d be up,” Arlo’s voice said.

Kahli peered over the edge of the roof and smiled. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“Lunch break.”

“Door’s open,” she said. She watched as he disappeared inside, then listened as the window opened. He climbed out, then pulled himself onto the roof and lay beside her with a heavy sigh.

“Rough night?”

“You have no idea,” he said. “My coworker is being such a demanding jerk.”

“Spacer?”

From below, the horse nickered.

“He’s a diva tonight.”

Kahli laughed. She moved closer to Arlo and snuggled up against him. Arlo wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

“You’re wrong, you know,” she said softly.

“Hm?”

“What you said earlier. No one can protect me like you can. Not even Mali.”

Arlo was quiet.

“I mean, I get it. You have to be logical about things. You’re not exactly in an easy position.” She hesitated. “But, in the end, Mali wouldn’t give her life for me.”

“You think I would?” Arlo asked.

“Not anymore,” Kahli muttered.

Arlo turned to meet her gaze. “I would.”

“So, by that logic, I’m much safer with you.” She paused. “However. I couldn’t live with myself if it came down to that. So. I guess Mali is good enough.”

Arlo smiled. “Good enough,” he said in agreement. “Then maybe we can both stay alive.”

“That would be ideal,” Kahli said.

Arlo pressed his lips softly against hers. They wrapped their arms around one another and their kiss deepened. After a moment, Arlo pulled away, and he met Kahli’s gaze.

“Kahli.”

Kahli searched his gaze, waiting for him to continue, but he seemed to think better of it.

“I love you,” he finally said.

“I love you, too.”

*****

Kahli slept the majority of the morning, waking only for the thirty minutes it took her to pull on her boots and trudge outside to feed her demanding horse and toss hay to the other animals. She eagerly returned to her bed afterwards to sleep for several more hours. It had been a long time since she had stayed up as late as she did, but she didn’t have any pressing matters to tend to. And she knew she wouldn’t see much of Arlo after his late night shift.

She didn’t rise again until early afternoon when she finally dressed herself and made an appearance in town where she ran into Emily.

“There you are,” Emily said.

“Here I am,” Kahli yawned.

“Late night?” Emily grinned.

“Eh.”

At that moment, a man dressed in an overcoat stopped beside them. His voice was deep when he spoke.

“Excuse me, ladies,” he said, tipping his hat to them. “Could you point me to the Mayor’s office?”

Emily smiled at him in greeting. “Actually, you’re not far off,” she said, and pointed toward the building. “Just right over there.”

“Excellent,” he said. He thanked them, tipping his hat once more before following Emily’s direction.

“Why does he seem familiar?” Emily said.

Kahli yawned again. “I dunno. But I need a coffee.”

Emily followed her into the Round Table. It was between lunch and dinner, and Sonia was leaning casually against the bar. In the kitchen, they could hear Django and Ack in the midst of a heated discussion.

“Arguing again?” Emily asked Sonia as they sat at the bar.

“Not exactly,” Sonia said. She rolled her eyes. “They’re like, just both really passionate about food. It got real exciting for a minute. Ack and some recipe, I dunno, Django lost his mind, begging him for it. Whatever.”

Kahli yawned and Sonia nodded.

“Same, girl,” she said.

“Get this woman a coffee before she passes out,” Emily said.

“Please,” Sonia corrected Emily.

Emily sighed. “Please, Sonia, Dear.”

Sonia pulled out three mugs and poured coffee into each of them. She passed a mug to Emily and Kahli, then took one for herself.

“So,” Emily started. “Any new gossip?”

Sonia thought about this for a moment, then shrugged. “Not really. Everything’s been quiet. Kahli and Arlo are happy. Albert continues to hit on me. Antoine still fantasizes about Dr. Xu.” She sighed. “Seems like we’re back to living in a boring town.”

“I hear Mint’s single,” Kahli offered. She turned to Emily. “You should ask him out.”

“What about me?” Sonia said, pouting slightly.

Kahli shrugged. “Go out with Albert.”

She blinked at her. “Are you serious?”

“Why not? It’ll make him happy, maybe shut him up.”

“Or maybe you’ll fall madly in love,” Emily said. “I mean, you haven’t exactly given him a chance to prove that he’s more than a womanizer.”

“Because he’s not,” Sonia pointed out.

“Then just get laid and be done with it,” Kahli said.

Sonia’s lips pursed as she considered this. “He is kind of cute,” she said. “And he’s got money.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Gold digger.”

The door opened and Mayor Gale walked in. The stranger Kahli and Emily encountered in the plaza came in behind him.

“Ah, Kahli, how perfect! Do you have a moment? I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

Kahli smiled at the man. “Of course,” she said. She followed them to a booth.

“Kahli is one of our builders in town,” Gale said as they sat. “She was instrumental in our success with the road to Sandrock and construction of South Block.” He turned to Kahli. “The city’s income has gone up and we’ve been able to get a lot more visitors. This here is Mr. Musa. He came after hearing about our initiative. After some discussion, he has decided to invest a significant amount of money to help us upgrade our harbor.”

“This is actually my third trip to Portia,” Musa said. “Last time I came, I was just passing through as a visitor. I saw the potential here, with its abundance of ruins and green pasture. But it was so out of the way that it really wasn't a great investment opportunity. I think that may be changing. I think by upgrading the harbor, Portia can really elevate its status among the Free Cities. I hope this will be the start of a wonderful cooperation.”

Gale grinned excitedly. “We have plans to move forward with upgrading the harbor,” he said. “We’ve already met with Mint, and I have appointed him as the project manager along with A&G Construction to build this project. Our goal is to allow our port to be able to receive larger ships. I was hoping you’d have interest in helping us accomplish this.”

“Of course,” Kahli said.

“Mayor Gale speaks very highly of you,” Musa said. “In fact, everyone here has. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

Kahli blushed slightly. “Uh, thanks. I am, too.”

“Excellent,” Gale said, clapping his hands together. “You’ll find Albert and Mint at the harbor tomorrow morning to review the plan for construction. I look forward to the possibilities this will bring to Portia.”

*****

It was later that evening when Mayor Gale introduced Musa to the rest of the town, officially announcing their plans with the harbor. The crowd buzzed with excitement, all familiar with Musa and his accomplishments.

“The road to Sandrock and South Block has been a tremendous success,” Mayor Gale said. “Our city's income has gone up and we're getting a lot more visitors. Mr. Musa arrived a few days ago after hearing about our initiative. After discussing with me about our progress, he has decided to invest a significant amount of money to help us upgrade our harbor.”

Again, the crowd seemed excited by this announcement. But Kahli couldn’t help but to notice a few hesitant faces among them, one being Tody. His brows furrowed as Musa began to speak about upgrading the harbor. Kahli looked away for just a moment, curious as to the other reactions, but when she turned her attention back to Tody, he was gone.

Musa spoke for just a moment before Mayor Gale dismissed them, concluding their meeting, and the crowd slowly dispersed. 

“Earth to Kahli,” Emily said, snapping her fingers in her face and catching her attention.

“Huh?”

“Already in work mode?” Emily grinned.

Kahli’s brows knit together. “Uh, no. Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Obviously,” Emily said. “What’s wrong with you?”

Kahli shook her head and sighed. “Just thinking about all the work I have to do.”


	35. Chapter 35

The next morning, Kahli made her way to the Portia Harbor where Mint, Albert, and Musa were waiting.

“Ah, morning, Kahli,” Mint said cheerily. “Mayor Gale is finally giving me a project with decent funding! I almost don’t believe it.”

Kahli smirked. “No kidding,” she said.

“Albert and I have already drawn up plans for this port,” Mint informed her. “We'd like to add a lighthouse, a warehouse area, and upgrade the wharf, for starters. There's a lot of work to be done.”

“Right-o,” Albert confirmed. “Why don't we start with the lighthouse? Think you’re up for that?”

“I think I can manage that,” Kahli said.

“You’ll probably have to talk to Petra,” Albert said. “We don’t exactly have experience with a light source of this magnitude.”

“Will do,” she said. She hesitated, then turned to Mint. “Hey, random question. Do you know Emily?”

“She’s the blonde, right? At the ranch?”

“Yeah.” Kahli paused. “She’s cute, right?”

Mint was caught off by her question. “Uh. Yeah. I guess she is.”

“She was asking me about you. She’s single, yanno.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “She was? She is?”

Kahli smiled. “Yeah. She’s cool. You should talk to her. Get to know her or something.”

“Um. Yeah. Alright. Maybe I’ll do that.”

“But whatever you do, don’t ask Albert for advice.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Albert said. “I’m excellent with women. She’s just mad that she passed over this for Arlo.”

“Yup, that’s exactly it.”

Albert grinned smugly. “Told ya.”

“Alright,” she said. “I’m on a mission for light. I’ll see you guys later.”

She left them alone, shaking her head when she heard Albert try to give him advice on how to approach Emily. Kahli made her way into town and to the Research Center where she explained what she needed to Petra.

“This sounds complicated, since it needs to pulse. I haven't really worked with lights before, so this should be fun! I'll get started right away and see what I can come up with. Give me until tomorrow.”

Kahli thanked Petra, but before she could leave, Petra spoke again.

“Hey! Any luck with that key for All Source?”

“Yes,” Kahli started, “And I’m keeping it all to myself.”

“Ha, ha,” Petra said.

“I promise you will be the first to know if I find anything,” Kahli assured her.

By the next day, Petra had found a way to create the light needed for the lighthouse, and Kahli spent the majority of the morning at the Research Center collaborating with her. That afternoon, she gathered the materials she needed, and she set to work the day after that on the light source.

The light source, of course, was only a small part of the lighthouse, and it took her the rest of the week to complete. When it was finished, she made her way back to the harbor to help construct the base of the lighthouse. With Musa’s help hiring more workers, the lighthouse and the light were completed after a few weeks.

Shortly after, Kahli ran into Albert at the Commerce Guild, and he excitedly explained to her the next part of their plan for the harbor.

“I was just about to find you,” he said. “Gust has finished designing the next part of the port: the cargo storage area. For this part of the harbor, we've envisioned a sliding mechanical crane to help load and unload the cargo from the ships. This one's a toughie as well. I'm sure you can handle it though. You'll need to talk with the ladies at the Research Center about it. We're looking for a high endurance crane. Without something like that Portia's harbor will have to remain modest, as we won't be able to unload large amounts of goods.”

And once more, Kahli made her way to the Research Center to explain her next mission to Petra.

“You're making a what-now?” Petra said. “I have seen these giant cranes from old books, but I don't think we can make these with our current knowledge. It'll need to be something smaller. I'll need to think about it with the Director.”

With nothing currently on her plate, Kahli made her way to the Round Table where the evening crowd had started to gather. She was alone at the bar for a while before Emily entered, and she slid into the seat beside Kahli.

“Playing matchmaker, are we?” she said to Kahli.

“Me?”

“Or did Mint suddenly decide to start talking to me?”

“Oh, is he?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Come on, what did you say to him?”

“I just told him that you’re cute and single.”

Emily groaned. “Why?”

“Revenge,” Kahli said. “For all the shit you gave me with Arlo.”

Emily sighed. “I guess he is cute.”

Kahli nodded. “He’s been here for a while and too wrapped up in his work. I thought I’d just give him a nudge in the right direction.”

“And you thought that was me?”

“I can see you two together,” Kahli said thoughtfully. “He seems kind of reserved, so I thought Sam might be too spunky and energetic for him. Sonia is a gold digger, so I can’t do that to him. Phyllis is focused on her career. Alice, maybe, but she’s got her hands full with Jack.”

“I see you put a lot of thought into this,” Emily muttered.

“I did. And now you can get laid.”

“Well, thanks. I don’t know how I’d ever survive without you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kahli said smugly. 

*****

It had been a couple days before Kahli heard from Petra. She and Emily had opted to get coffee at the Round Table when they ran into her just outside. Stray strands of hair had escaped from her ponytail, looking as if it hadn’t been brushed in a few days. She yawned out a sleepy ‘hey’ to them.

“After a couple all-nighters, we have the diagram for the Harbor Crane,” Petra said to Kahli. “It's still pretty complicated, but it's the best we can come up with.” She handed Kahli the blueprints. “Now, I'm gonna go grab me some pick-me-up before I fall asleep. Have fun with this.”

“You’re running that poor thing into the ground,” Emily said once Petra went inside.

“It’s not me,” Kahli said defensively. “This is all Gale’s project.”

“Does there have to be such a rush?”

Kahli shrugged. “They want it done before the summer tourists start crowding the beaches.”

“That doesn’t give them much time,” Emily said.

“Hey, I’m just a builder,” Kahli said. “Take it up with Gale.”

“Well, it’s not my problem,” Emily said.

Kahli sighed and skimmed the blueprints in her hands. “Guess I should get to work,” she said.

“Don’t lose yourself in there,” Emily called after her as Kahli made her way back home.

The crane was far more complicated than the lighthouse, just as Petra had warned her. She kept herself busy with it for the next couple of weeks. It seemed she was working the entire spring away, and Arlo made it a point to make that known to her.

He sat on the ground with his back against the doorway to the workshop. Kahli welcomed the spring breeze as she worked on the smaller pieces of the crane, which she had almost completed. All that was left would be assembling it at the harbor.

“So, this Emily and Mint thing,” Arlo said as he bit into an apple. “That was you, wasn’t it?”

Kahli used her shirt to wipe at her forehead. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Arlo glanced at her and grinned. “Felt bad that you weren’t available for Mint?”

“He’s nice and cute and smart,” Kahli said. “Why shouldn’t he be with someone? And Emily is his best match.”

“You think so?”

“You don’t?”

Arlo shrugged. He took another bite of this apple, chewing thoughtfully. “You’re probably right,” he said after he swallowed. 

“Well, they’re not a thing yet, anyway. They’re just… hanging out.”

“Right. Of course.” He tossed the rest of his apple over the fence for Star. “Speaking of hanging out. When are you ever going to stop working?”

“I’m just about finished,” Kahli said. “Then I can lug it all over to the harbor to put it all together.”

“And then what?”

“Whatever Albert’s got next for me, I guess.”

Arlo leaned his head back against the door frame and groaned.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like hanging out with me here?”

“All you do is work,” Arlo whined playfully.

“Aw, someone misses me.”

“Is that such a crime?”

Kahli stopped working and pushed herself up to sit on the workbench. “I guess I could probably take a break after this,” she said. “For you.”

Arlo met her gaze. “Really?”

“Yeah, what the hell?”

“That’s the attitude,” Arlo said. “Glad the passion is still going strong.”

Kahli laughed. “You got something in mind?”

“Actually, I do,” he said.

“You intrigue me, sir. Am I allowed to know what this plan of yours is?”

“There’s apparently a tunnel in the Eufaula Desert that leads to some secret scenic spot. Remi was telling me about it. I thought we could go check it out.”

“I dunno,” Kahli said slowly. “My boyfriend told me to stop getting into trouble.”

Arlo grinned. “Ah, you’ll be with me. What could go wrong?”

“Alright,” Kahli said. “Then it’s a date. Once I finish with the crane.”

Arlo got to his feet and moved to her side to kiss her.

“Good,” he said. He held her gaze for a moment and smiled. “It’s a date.”


	36. Chapter 36

Kahli spent the next several days at the harbor where construction on the crane began. With the help of Musa’s and Mint’s workers, the crane went up quickly and smoothly. So far, they were ahead of schedule, with just a few weeks before summer came upon them, bringing with it its usual flood of tourists. 

Kahli finally had a few quiet days ahead of her, no longer buried in work. And the next day Arlo had off, they rode together to the Eufaula Desert to find the tunnel that Remington had told Arlo about.

“I’m starting to think there’s no tunnel,” Kahli said after nearly an hour of wandering the desert aimlessly. “This was all just some ploy to kill me and dispose of me, wasn’t it?”

“How did you figure it out?”

“It was just so obvious,” she said. “This has been the plan for the last two years, starting with my father getting me to move here. Then I fell for your charm and willingly followed you to the middle of nowhere.” She paused. “The only thing I can’t figure out is your motive.”

“The truth is,” Arlo started, “I planned to double cross him.”

“He was supposed to meet us out here,” Kahli said. “But it seems you’re the one that has been double crossed.”

“Perhaps.”

“Jokes on you, though,” she continued. “I knew your plan the whole time and now I will kill you both.”

“We knew you’d think that,” Arlo said. “We wanted you to think we were double crossing one another to trick you into thinking you had the upper hand.”

“This is all very confusing,” Kahli said. “Can’t trust anyone in this damn world.”

“There it is,” Arlo said.

Kahli followed his gaze to the entrance of the tunnel within the side of the mountain range.

“Ah, we have finally arrived at the place where I will be murdered.”

Arlo smirked at her and dismounted Spacer. “I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”

“Well, no sense in trying to run, now,” Kahli said. She slid off Star’s back, and Arlo pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

“You make death so sweet,” Kahli said.

Arlo grinned and rolled his eyes. He took her hand in his and pulled her into the tunnel.

As expected, it was dim, though not completely dark. Light streamed in through various spaces in the high ceiling, providing a warmth to the dampness whenever they passed through these spaces where the sun’s rays could sneak through.

As they traveled deeper into the cavern, the sound of trickling water could be heard. They eventually came to a small river which cut across their path, moving toward the far wall on their right. There was a small space between the wall and the cavern floor where the river moved through, seemingly following a path until it came out on the other side of the mountain range.

Arlo hopped across first, reaching his hand to Kahli and helping her across, and they followed the edge of the river as it moved deeper still until the sound of a roaring waterfall could be heard. It grew louder as they walked, and finally, the path ended. The river opened up into a small pond, and the cavern wall stretched up the length of the waterfall. They moved around the edge of the pond and toward the back wall. At the top, the path continued, moving deeper still.

“You’re not expecting me to climb this wall, are you?” Kahli muttered.

“I thought you had a sense of adventure?” Arlo said with a grin. “It’s not too high.”

He was right, it wasn’t. But she wasn’t exactly the most athletic person, either. She was fit, sure, but she wasn’t sure if she had the skill necessary to scale a rock wall. She examined the wall carefully.

“We can turn back,” Arlo offered.

Kahli shook her head, determination on her face. “No way,” she said. “I can handle a rock wall.” She bit her lip. “And if I fall, at least you can tell everyone it was an accident so you won’t look suspicious.”

Arlo smiled. “I won’t let you fall.”

Kahli looked up at the wall and rubbed her hands together. “Sure you won’t,” she said with a grin. She looked for a place to grab onto, found some nooks and crannies to shove her feet into, and she proceeded to scale the wall with Arlo beside her.

She was feeling pretty good about her progress until the wall crumbled slightly under the weight of her right foot, taking her by surprise, and she lost her grip completely. Arlo’s hand grabbed her wrist, and he jumped down to catch her in his arms.

“Are you alright?”

Kahli let out a breath, blowing her hair out of her face. “Yeah,” she muttered, then pushed away from him.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m tackling this bitch,” Kahli said. She looked up the wall once more. “I got this,” she said, mostly to herself.

“You’re going to kill yourself,” Arlo said.

“Well, better than letting you do it,” Kahli said.

She started up the wall once more, and her second try proved to be more successful. As she neared the top, Arlo had already climbed over, and he reached down to pull her up completely. Once she made it over, she rolled onto her back and said a silent prayer.

“I did it,” she said as she caught her breath.

“A miracle,” Arlo said.

“Shut it.”

Arlo helped her to her feet and planted a kiss on her lips.

They continued on, following the river until the cavern opened up. A small sized lake occupied the width of the cavern, fed by another waterfall at the far end which seemed to come from a space in the ceiling, somewhere up on the mountain. In the center of the lake was a small island where a few small trees had managed to sprout. Sun streamed in through another space in the ceiling, just above the island, giving it just enough nutrients to make it lush and green. Several other varieties of plants lined the edges of the lake and were spread over the island, including several colorful blossoms that Kahli had never seen before.

“Guess Remi was right,” Arlo said.

“This was worth almost dying for,” Kahli said as she looked on in awe. 

Arlo laughed. “Well, I’m glad you survived to see it.”

They were quiet for a moment as they took in the sights, though Arlo was mostly admiring her. Kahli let out a sigh of content.

“It’s really pretty,” she said. “Thanks for dragging me out here.” She turned toward Arlo, and her smile quickly disappeared, her eyes widening. He was on one knee, a ring in his hand, and she met his gaze, utterly speechless. 

“I didn’t exactly prepare a speech,” Arlo said sheepishly. “Nothing that hasn’t already been said. I love you, Kahli. And if you don’t know how I feel by now -”

“Oh, Light,” Kahli muttered. Her heart pounded in her chest and she let Arlo take her hand.

“Will you marry me?”

She nodded dumbly before she was able to speak. “Yeah. Yes!” 

Arlo slipped the ring on her finger and got to his feet, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply. Kahli wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could, their bodies pressed against one another. They stayed in their passionate embrace for a few moments more until they slowly parted. Their gazes met, and Kahli’s cheeks flushed. She pulled her gaze away, but her lips pulled into a grin.

“Oh, man,” she said, letting out a breath. “I really thought you were gonna dump my body down here.” She shook her head. “Shut up, Kahli!”

Arlo laughed and placed his hands on her face, pulling her gently to him and pressing his lips against hers once more. Kahli let him pull her into him, and he stepped back until his back was against the wall. Kahli leaned into him and moved her hands into his hair, deepening their kiss.

They stayed in the cave through the afternoon, exploring it further, before stripping out of their clothes and slipping into the cool, clear water. They splashed playfully until they were kissing again, their bodies pressed together. And when their fingertips started to prune, they got out and dressed to make their way out of the cave and back across the desert towards Portia.

Kahli could barely keep her eyes off the ring on her finger, and then on Arlo and she blushed and grinned every time he met her gaze. Once home, neither of them could keep their hands off one another, and they slipped naked between the sheets where they lost themselves to the night.


	37. Chapter 37

Kahli felt Arlo’s lips brush against her forehead and she sighed. She pulled the blankets over her shoulder, snuggling deeper into the bed, before realizing that he was not beside her. Her eyes opened and she met his gaze, then she sighed.

“It’s not morning,” she muttered, then yawned.

“Unfortunately,” Arlo said. “I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight?”

Kahli shrugged and yawned. “I guess so. That’s what married people do.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Kahli closed her eye and smiled when he kissed her again, then she drifted off to sleep for another hour before she heard Star’s breakfast call. She opened her eyes once more and smiled when she caught a glimpse of the ring on her finger. She got out of bed, dressed, and quickly tended to her usual morning chores before making her way into town.

Sonia and Emily were standing outside of the Round Table when Kahli stepped into the plaza. She met their gazes and offered them a smile in greeting before making her way to them. But Sonia’s gaze had widened, and she grabbed Kahli’s wrist the moment she was in reach, pulling her hand up.

“Oh, my god,” she nearly shouted. “I thought I smelled jewelry!” 

Emily gasped as the sunlight glinted off the ring on her finger and she nearly shrieked. “He proposed?!”

“No, I bought this for myself,” Kahli muttered, her cheeks flushing as the two women squealed, drawing the attention of several passerbyers. And before she knew it, a crowd had gathered around them, everyone curious to see what the commotion was about. Alice, Mei, Petra, and Lucy had gathered, and even Django looked on from afar for a moment before losing interest. 

Noticing the crowd, Sam’s interest had piqued as well, and she pushed her way through. “Alright, alright,” she said. “What’s going on? Break it up.” She froze when she saw Kahli and the women staring googly eyed at the ring on her finger.

“Holy fuck,” Sam barked. “Sonnovabitch!” She threw her arms around Kahli. “My best friends are gonna get married!”

“Hi, Sam,” Kahli grunted as Sam hugged her tightly.

“I feel like such a proud Momma,” Sam wailed. “My two kids grew up and are marrying each other!”

“That’s… weird,” Sonia said.

“They’re gonna make the cutest babies,” Sam continued.

“Not any better,” Emily remarked.

“Shut up,” Sam barked at them. “Let me be happy!”

To Kahli’s relief, the sound of hooves on cobblestone loosened Sam’s embrace, and she beamed as Arlo and Remington entered the plaza, their gazes turned curiously to the crowd that now had their attention turned to them.

“What’s going on here?” Remington asked.

“They’re getting married!” Sam blurted out.

Remington raised a brow. “Who?” He turned to Arlo, and Arlo shrugged.

“She’s crazy,” he said.

“Oh.” Remington paused. “I had money on you and Kahli.”

“It is Arlo and Kahli,” Sam barked. “C’mon, Remi, get with the program!”

“Oh. Cool.” He turned to Arlo. “Good job.”

“Hey, thanks.”

Sam threw her hands in the air. “Men! I can’t deal with you right now. Go away. We’re busy being happy over here.”

“Sure, sure,” Arlo said. “But can I at least talk to my fiance?”

The group awed in unison and Kahli blushed.

“You already did ya talking,” Sam said.

Arlo nodded. “True. I guess we don’t have to talk anymore.”

“Not even about the wedding?” Emily asked.

“Please,” Sonia said. “All he has to do is show up.”

“That’s a relief,” Arlo said.

“Come on,” Remington said. “Let’s get out of here while you still can.”

“Good luck with that,” Arlo said to Kahli with a grin.

“Don’t leave me here,” Kahli whined.

“Gotta get to work,” Arlo said over his shoulder.

“I will marry you and divorce you,” she muttered.

“Save something for your vow,” Emily said.

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, congratulating Kahli until only she, Emily, Sonia, and Sam remained.

“So, I don’t know if you’ve thought about colors yet,” Sonia said. “But I look really good in yellow.”

“Colors?” Kahli echoed.

“Oh, with some big sunflowers!” Emily chimed in.

“And cake!” Sam added.

“I don’t think so,” Kahli said.

“Roses?” Emily asked.

“No flowers.”

“Well, that’s boring,” Sonia said. “How are your bridesmaids going to look cute?”

“No bridesmaids,” Kahli said.

“No bridesmaids?” Sam shouted. “What the hell?”

“What about a cake?” Emily asked.

Kahli pretended to think about this. “No.”

“What kind of wedding is this?” Sonia said. 

“I’m thinking… not a wedding?”

They blinked at her in silence for a moment.

“You’re getting married,” Sonia said. “How do you not have a wedding?”

“I don’t want a big thing,” Kahli said. “I don’t want everyone looking at me!”

Emily laughed. “You’re such a romantic.”

“But that’s the best part,” Sonia said. “You’ll wear a stunning white gown and everyone will admire how beautiful you are and you’ll be the star of the show!”

Kahli shuddered. “No, thanks.”

“This is Kahli we’re talking about,” Sam said with a nod.

“She does like to hide away in that workshop,” Emily confirmed.

“What kind of woman are you?” Sonia said.

“The… normal kind?”

“It’s perfect, really,” Sam said. “I don’t think Arlo would be very into that whole pompous shit, either.”

“Pompous?” Sonia said offensively. “Weddings are beautiful!”

“Says the gold digger,” Emily remarked snidely.

“Whatever.” Sonia rolled her eyes. “This is your thing. Do whatever you want.”

“Oh, thanks,” Kahli said. “I thought maybe you were marrying Arlo for a second.”

Sam scoffed. “She’s chasing Albert now.”

“So, what? I don’t deserve to find someone?”

“When you and Albert get married,” Kahli started, “I’ll wear whatever stupid dress you want me to wear.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you’re not invited to my wedding.” Sonia crossed her arms.

Kahli frowned. “Please?”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Fine! Whatever! Only because I like you.”

“Tell you what,” Kahli said. “I’ll let you plan everything.”

“Really?” she squealed.

“Sure. You clearly care more about making a big event out of this than I do.”

“I heard ‘make a big event,’” Sonia said. “This will be the wedding of the century!”

“You better make sure she shows up,” Sam said.

“Well, whether I want a big event or not, I still want to marry Arlo.”

The three of them awed in unison.

“You guys are so cute it’s sick,” Emily said.

“How about over the summer?” Sonia said. “What kind of flowers? Oh! I bet we can get Carol to make a dress!”

“Sure,” Kahli started. “I literally do not care if we get married in a cave.” She smiled.

“You’re not gonna give me any ideas?” Sonia said with a pout.

“Gold roses,” Kahli said.

Sonia stared at her. “That’s not a thing.”

“I insist on having gold roses.” Kahli folded her arms over her chest.

“You’re fucking with me,” Sonia said, narrowing her gaze.

“You wanted ideas,” Kahli said. “And if you’re going to make this a big thing, then I want gold roses”

“Why?” Sonia whined.

“My mother had this golden rose broach that she used to always wear,” Kahli said. “When she died, it was all I had left of her.”

Sonia hesitated. She frowned and bit her lower lip. “Oh.”

Emily snickered. “Oh, Light.”

“Are you joking?” Sonia barked at Kahli. “That’s not funny!”

Kahli grinned. “I’m sure whatever you do will be perfect.”

Sonia sighed. “You make me really not want to do this for you anymore.”

“Really?”

She perked up. “But, because you are my best friend, I will!”

“Dammit,” Kahli muttered.

“I’m going to talk to Carol,” Sonia said. “Come by tomorrow morning and we’ll get some measurements. I bet I have a nice pair of heels, too.”

“I can’t wear my own heels?”

Sonia stared blankly at Kahli and Sam laughed.

“Heels,” Sam giggled.

Sonia rolled her eyes. “Like she owns heels.”

“I might!”

Sonia put a hand on Kahli’s arm. “Hunny, don’t try to be something you’re not,” she said.

“This sounds very condescending,” Kahli said, her gaze narrowed.

Sonia shook her head. “Not at all. You’re a strong, independent woman who is comfortable with just how she is.”

“And that doesn’t sound condescending to you?” Emily said.

“I’m not trying to be!” Sonia said defensively. “It’s just the way I talk!”

“Alright,” Kahli said with a sigh. “Fine. Tomorrow morning.”

“Good,” Sonia said. “You give me shit, but someday, you’ll thank me. Arlo won’t be able to keep his hands off of you when I’m done with you!”

“But he can’t keep his hands off her already,” Emily said. “Because Kahli is naturally pretty.”

“Why do you gotta try to one up my compliments?” Sonia whined.

“Because your compliments sound backhanded,” Sam muttered.

“I have complete faith in you,” Kahli said to Sonia. “Make me look like a princess.”

Sonia grinned. “Now we’re talkin’!”


	38. Chapter 38

It was mid morning when Kahli made her way into town, deciding she needed to get back into her working routine. And also to meet Carol and Sonia. However, she was actually excited to have a wedding dress made for her. It only made it feel that much more real. But she was quickly brought out of her thoughts by the sound of conversation. Heated conversation. Merlin, Petra, Nora, and Lee were gathered together - an unusual sight to see the four of them all together, as more often than not, it only meant they were at a disagreement. And it seemed like today was no exception. It was clear they were having some sort of argument.

“Don't play blockhead with me,” Merlin snapped at Lee. “The Locator Computer was right there on our worktable last night, and now it's gone! Who else in town would want it out of our hands? You robot-hater!”

“Now listen here,” Lee said through his teeth. “I have no idea what you're talking about! We would never stoop so low as to steal! Everything we do is legitimate! I'm offended that you would even think of us like that!”

“Please, Minister,” Nora said, her voice soft. She turned to Petra. “Are you talking about that computer Inspector Mali just found?”

“Yes,” Petra said calmly. “It's a very important item to us... to me.”

“Petra, we really don't have it,” Nora said. “Director Merlin, we can allow you and the Civil Corps to search our Church to remove any suspicion…”

Lee turned to Nora suddenly. “What? Nora,” He hissed. “No, I won't allow that. First they insult us, now we must prove our innocence by letting pagans rummage through our Church?! I won't stand for it!”

Fine then,” Merlin said. “We're taking this to the Mayor to see what he thinks!

“Oh, that's fine by me,” Lee responded. “Let's go!”

The four of them stormed into the Town Hall. Kahli stared at the door as it slammed shut, jumping at Sonia’s voice.

“Make a scene much?” she said, her arms crossed. She shook her head. “What the hell are they fighting about now?”

Kahli frowned. “It sounds like the locator computer Mali and I found is missing.”

“So what? Is it important or something?”

“I don’t know,” Kahli said slowly.

“I don’t care,” Sonia said quickly. “So, I talked to Carol and she agreed to make dresses for us all! So, you’ll just need to stop by and get measured and tell her what you want it to look like.”

Kahli sighed. “Can’t I wear this?”

Sonia looked her up and down and her brows furrowed. “You’re kidding, right?”

Kahli looked at her torn jeans and stained, plaid shirt. “Yeah, alright,” she said.

Sonia grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward Central Plaza. “Glad you’re on board,” she said.

Sonia led her to Carol’s, who was already waiting inside with a measuring tape. She grinned at them when they entered.

“So, he finally popped the question,” Carol said. She put a hand on her hip. “You came to the right person for your dress.”

“She wants to look like a princess,” Sonia announced proudly.

“I think I can manage that,” Carol said. “What kind of style do you have in mind?”

Kahli blinked at her. “Um. White. A dress.”

“She’s gonna need some help,” Sonia whispered loudly.

Carol smiled. “Alright. I think I can sketch a few ideas for ya. Let’s start with some measurements.”

Kahli stood dumbly as Carol worked around her. Carol stretched the tape over various parts of her body. Carol lifted her arms and wrapped the tape around her hips, waist, and bust, then forced her arms down and measured them. She jotted some notes in a notebook, then stuck the pencil in her mouth as she continued to measure and calculate. After a few minutes, it seemed she was done, and she scribbled away in her notebook for a moment more.

“When is the wedding?” Carol asked, not looking up from her notes.

“Over the summer,” Sonia said for Kahli.

Carol nodded and jotted some more notes down. “You won’t want long sleeves, then.” She looked up and met Kahli’s gaze. “Strapless? Cap sleeves?”

“What’s a cap sleeve?” Kahli asked.

Sonia and Carol both stared at her for a moment, then they tuned to one another.

“I can’t see her in cap sleeves,” Sonia said.

Carol nodded in agreement. “I think she could pull off sleeveless.”

“Totally.”

Carol made some more notes. “Train? Veil?”

“Huh?”

Sonia shook her head. “No train.”

“Wait, don’t I get to decide?”

Sonia turned to Kahli. “Well, you haven’t exactly given us any ideas!”

Kahli’s lips twisted to the side as she tried to envision a dress for herself. “A little train?”

Sonia grinned. “Really? I didn’t think that would be your style.”

Kahli’s cheeks warmed. “I dunno,” she muttered. “I said princess. Princesses have trains.”

Kahli could tell Sonia was trying hard to contain her excitement. She smiled and put a hand on her chest, as if touched by Kahli’s willingness to look as beautiful as possible.

“We can do that,” Carol said. “And maybe a nice, long veil to match?”

“Uh. Sure.” She cleared her throat. “Yes. That sounds… pretty.”

Carol smiled and wrote more notes. “Are we thinking lace? Ball gown? Mermaid? Something more light and flowy?”

Sonia remained quiet, turning to Kahli expectantly.

Kahli hesitated. “Um. Flowy. But with some structure. Like… a little ball gowny? Is that a thing?”

Carol nodded. “I gotcha,” she said. “White? Cream? Eggshell?”

Kahli turned to Sonia for help.

Sonia put a finger to her chin for a moment as she looked Kahli up and down. “White would be too contrasted with your dark hair,” she said, and Carol nodded silently. “Eggshell.”

Carol turned to Kahli for confirmation.

“Sure,” Kahli said. “Sonia knows best.”

“Alright,” Carol said. She set her notebook on a table. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what to do. I’ll make up a couple of sketches and you can come back tomorrow to let me know what you like best. Sound good?”

“Thank you, Carol,” Sonia sang. “You’re the best!”

Carol smiled. “I know. Don’t you worry, Kahli, I’ll take care of everything.”

Kahli smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”

*****

The next morning, Kahli and Sonia found themselves at Carol’s again. They looked through her sketches and Sonia babbled excitedly, pointing out her favorite features of each design. After a moment, Kahli finally settled on a design, and she smiled when she showed Carol.

Carol grinned proudly and nodded. “I just had a feeling you’d pick this one,” she said. “It’ll take me a few weeks to put this together. But I promise, you’ll love it! I’ll let you know when it’s ready and we’ll try it on and make adjustments.”

Kahli thanked Carol, and she and Sonia left Carol to her work. When they reached Peach Plaza, Sonia said goodbye to Kahli, making her way into the Round Table to get ready for the day. Kahli turned to head into the Commerce Guild, pausing when she saw Nora.

“Hey,” Nora said, hesitant. “Listen. I just wanted to apologize for that scene yesterday.”

“The Locator Computer was stolen?” Kahli asked.

“Seems like it,” Nora said. “But we really didn't take it! We'd never do things like that!

“Who do you think could have taken it?”

“I don't know,” Nora said slowly. “The Church and the Research Center are regularly in opposition to one another, so it's hard to say.” She shook her head. “There's not much else we can do, except to wait for the Civil Corps to complete their investigation. Although. I did hear that Arlo and Remington won't be back for a while, as they're helping Inspector Mali with her survey. Only Sam's available in town.” She met Kahli’s gaze, hopeful. “Can you check with her and see if you can help out? I really want to clear our name quickly but I can't be seen too close to the investigation as I'm part of the implicated party.”

“Of course,” Kahli said. “I’ll talk to Sam.”

“Thanks, I very much appreciate it.”

Kahli redirected her route to the Civil Corps building, finding Sam inside where she explained the situation.

“I guess I could let you help,” Sam said. “It’ll be like we’re working together!”

“Does that mean I’ll get paid?”

Sam laughed. “No.” She cleared her throat. “This one's a tough nut to crack. At first, I suspected the bandit brothers. But this crime is too clean - it's not their style to be so... professional. We should check around the Research Center, though, to see if we missed anything.”

Kahli followed Sam back to the Central Plaza where they searched around the Research Center. Kahli moved to the side of the building, noticing a few of the bushes seemed to have been trampled down. She made her way behind the building curiously, pausing when she caught a glimpse of color in another clustering of bushes. She bent down and pulled a hat out that was caught on the branches. She returned to Sam to show her.

Sam took the hat from her and examined it. “Doesn't this belong to Tuss? Hm. Maybe they were behind this. Let's go pay them a visit.”

Kahli and Sam made their way to the north-east of the WOW Industries building, where Sam said they had last been seen hanging out. They entered the Bassanio Cave and navigated the tunnels until they finally arrived at an open space at the end. As Sam predicted, Huss and Tuss were in the center of the room, gathered around the Locator Computer.

“Why am I not surprised?” Sam said. “It’s always you two!”

Huss and Tuss jumped at her voice and she strode towards them.

“You’re under arrest for stealing that relic!”

“I don’t think so,” Tuss sneered. “We got this fair and square.”

“Boss traded for it,” Huss said.

“That masked fool,” Tuss snickered. “We played him.”

“I’m not buying it,” Sam said. “You’re under arrest for stealing from the Research Center. You are to surrender the relic immediately and come with me to the Crops HQ.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Tuss taunted her, grinning wickedly.

At that moment, Tuss lunged at Sam, and Huss lunged at Kahli. Kahli jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging Huss’s attack, and he stumbled forward, giving Kahli an opening. She kicked at the back of his legs and he fell to his knees. But he swung around quickly, kicking his leg around at her and catching her in the gut.

Kahli stumbled backwards as Huss jumped back to his feet, lunging at her again with his fist forward. Kahli caught his fist in her palm, then used the momentum to twist his arm around, pinning it behind his back and pushing him to the ground. She pressed her knee into his back as she pulled his other arm around, securing his wrists behind his back.

He groaned and spit out a mouthful of dirt. He kicked his legs and pulled his arms, but he could not free himself from Kahli’s grip.

Kahli looked around, checking on Sam, and she had Tuss secured as well. She quickly tied rope around his wrists, then moved to Huss to secure his wrists as well. Kahli and Sam both stood and caught their breaths.

“Take the relic back to Director Merlin,” Sam said to Kahli. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to have it back. I’ll take care of these two.”

Kahli took the locator computer and followed Sam out of the cave and back into town. As Sam pushed Huss and Tuss toward the Civil Crops building, Kahli brought the computer back to Merlin at the research center. She and Petra were both overjoyed to see Kahli return with the computer.

“You found it!” Merlin exclaimed. “What happened? Where was it?”

“Huss and Tuss stole it,” Kahli explained.

Merlin frowned. “Oh. I guess I was mistaken to accuse the Church.” She sighed. “Whaddaya know. I suppose next time Lee wants to start a verbal disagreement, I’ll let him win for once.” She smiled at Kahli. “Can you let Lee know that… no. Tell Nora that I said ‘sorry.’”

Kahli thought about suggesting that Merlin apologize herself, but thought better of it. She knew Merlin was a stubborn, proud woman, so instead she agreed and left the Research Center.

She found Nora heading towards the Round Table, and Kahli took the opportunity to explain to Nora what happened, even sending her Merlin’s apology.

“The Director said that?” Nora laughed. “Wow, that's a first! I'm just happy this whole incident is behind us. Thank you so much for your help.”


	39. Chapter 39

Spring warmed into summer without further incident in Portia. Kahli learned to juggle her usual work load while also finding time to meet with Sonia, her impromptu wedding planner, often accompanied by Antoine and Emily. They gathered most days for lunch, chatting and planning, and before she knew it, their big day had arrived.

“There,” Carol said. She stepped back to admire her work.

Kahli stared at herself in the mirror. “I’ve never been so pretty,” she whispered.

Sonia laughed. “You’ve never tried.”

“I’ve tried!” Kahli barked at her. “It’s really hard to look good when you’re sweating your ass off in a workshop all day.”

“Ignore her,” Emily said. “You’re naturally beautiful. You don’t have to try at all. Sonia’s just jealous.”

“Can we talk about how I’m rocking this dress, though?” Sam admired herself from behind Kahli and twirled in her dress.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress,” Sonia pointed out.

“Yeah, it’s weird, right?” Sam grinned. “It’s so light and flowy and… freeing. I really gotta convince the guys to make this our new uniform!”

Emily snorted. “Now that I would pay to see.”

There was a quick knock on the door, but the door opened before the knocking ceased, and Antoine stepped through, looking nervous.

“What now?” Sonia said through her teeth. “We’re coming!”

“Um.” Antoine hesitated. “Slight change of plans.”

“Change of plans?” Emily echoed, and her gaze narrowed on him.

“So Arlo left -”

“What?” Sam barked. She pulled at Antoine’s shirt, her teeth bared.

Antoine cowered slightly under her hold, stammering when he spoke. “N-no! He - there - the harbor! A fire or something happened at the harbor.”

“What do you mean a fire happened at the harbor?” Kahli hissed.

“Mayor Gale needed Arlo and Rem, and Arlo said to tell you and I’m telling you!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kahli muttered. She hiked up her dress, gathering the material in her hands. “Do something about this,” she said to Carol.

“For the love of - hold on,” Carol muttered as she sprang into action. She gathered the material and fastened it securely at Kahli’s hip, and Kahli took off running out of the church with Sam on her heels. They ran all the way to the harbor where Mayor Gale, Albert, Arlo, and Remington stood before a burnt down warehouse. When they heard Kahli’s and Sam’s approach, they turned towards them.

“Kahli, I’m so sorry,” Gale started.

“Is anyone hurt?” Kahli asked quickly.

Gale shook his head. “No,” he said slowly. “Just the harbor.”

“How did this happen?”

“It was definitely intentional,” Arlo said. “Someone doesn’t want this harbor built.”

“I'll bet everything I have that it was Tody,” Albert said through clenched teeth. “That crazy fool! He's been against this from the start.”

“Why would he do this?” Gale asked.

“I'll go have a chat with him,” Arlo said.

Albert sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “Now we'll have to completely rebuild.”

“I expected wrinkles. We have enough reserve budget to cover it,” Gale assured him.

“Yes, that's the good news, but we have a problem as well. We installed a mint-condition air cooling relic for this warehouse, Mr. Musa's people brought it to us. There ain't a spare.”

“You'll have to figure out something. We can't disappoint Mr. Musa. Otherwise we'll never get outside investments again.”

Albert turned to Kahli. “We need the air cooling unit if we want to rebuild. Do you think you can help look for one?”

Kahli looked down at her dress. “Sure,” she muttered. “Let me just change…”

Albert offered her an apologetic smile. “Sure, when you get to it.” He hesitated. “It won’t be easy, though. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Kahli said. 

“Good,” Gale said. “I’m counting on you both.” He turned to Arlo. “Talk to Tody.” He shook his head. “I hope to Peach he didn’t do this…”

Gale and Albert left the four of them at the harbor, making their way back into town.

Sam frowned. “No one even bothered to mention how nice I look.” Kahli cleared her throat loudly and Sam grinned. “Or Kahli!”

Kahli sighed. “Sonia’s going to be pissed when I tell her we have to reschedule.”

“I don’t want to be there for that conversation,” Sam said, and she and Remington followed after Gale and Albert.

Arlo met Kahli’s gaze and smiled. “Maybe we don’t,” he said. He leaned down and kissed her. “I’ll see you tonight. At the beach. But don’t tell Sonia.”

Kahli grinned. “Alright.”

“Wear this.”

Kahli looked down at her dress. “Oh, this old thing? You like this?” She grinned up at Arlo.

Remington cleared his throat loudly over his shoulder. “I know you had other plans today,” he said. “But we need to deal with Tody.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” Kahli said. She kissed him again, turning just as Sonia, Emily, and Anotine made their way to them. Arlo quickly caught up with Remington and Sam, leaving Kahli alone to deal with the angry wedding planner.

“I’m sorry,” Kahli muttered to Sonia.

Sonia waved her off. “I’m just glad no one’s hurt,” she said. “And I figured Arlo would have his hands full today, so I told everyone to go home. Wedding cancelled.” She sighed. “My beautiful wedding…”

Kahli put a gentle hand on her arm. “It was beautiful,” she said. “No wedding could have topped it.”

Sonia sniffed and nodded. “I know,” she said. “I’m so glad you understand.”

Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Drama Queen,” she sang.

“I’ll buy you a drink tonight,” Kahli offered. “Tell Django to give you the night off.”

Sonia nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Great.” Kahli readjusted the bustle of her dress and made her way toward town. “I gotta go ask Petra about an air conditioning unit.”

She quickly made her way to the research center, stopped only a few times by people who inquired about the harbor and complimented her on her dress.

“Bringing the wedding here?” Petra asked with a grin when Kahli entered.

Kahli blew her hair out of her face. “Unfortunately not,” she said. “The warehouse was burnt to a crisp and Albert needs a large air conditioning unit to rebuild.”

Petra frowned at her. “It’s your wedding day, and you’re working?”

Kahli shook her head. “Nah,” she said. “Tomorrow. Just figured I could see what you knew about this.”

“A large air cooling unit?” Petra questioned. “I’m pretty sure that’s just a standalone relic. And you want to create one.” She shook her head. “I'm not sure how to go about that. I'll talk with the Director and see if we can come up with something. I'll let you know.”

*****

Arlo leaned against the table, his arms folded over his chest. He watched as Tody cracked his knuckles nervously, avoiding Arlo’s hard gaze. “I did it,” he finally muttered. “I burnt down the warehouse.”

Mayor Gale sighed and pressed a finger to his temple. “This is very serious, Tody,” he said. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about Portia,” Tody hissed. “I was thinking about the future. These damn relics and this technology that you so desperately want. This is exactly what brought the world to ruin. What nearly destroyed the environment. This harbor… that’s what you’re doing. You're polluting the waters. You’re ruining aquatic life. The fish people eat. Our very survival hangs in the balance. Once it’s gone, there’s no getting it back!” He lowered his voice and pulled his gaze away from Mayor Gale. “I’m sorry for what I did,” he said softly. “It wasn’t the right thing to do. I acted impulsively. I should have come to you about this.”

Gale let out a heavy breath. “You are not above the law, Tody. Someone could have been seriously hurt.”

Tody looked down at his feet. “I know,” he said. “I truly regret my actions.”

“As mayor, it is my job to listen to everyone in Portia. To help make this town the best it can be. I hadn’t thought of the ramifications the project could have on the environment. I’m taking your concerns very seriously, Tody. I intend to address this matter, because you are absolutely right. We cannot afford to destroy the environment like that.” He sighed. “That being said, your actions do not come without consequences. You committed a very serious crime. I cannot allow this kind of behavior to happen. You will have to stay here for the time being, with the Civil Corps, until we can determine further action.”

“I understand,” Tody said remorsefully. 

“I appreciate your cooperation,” Gale said. He turned to Arlo and gestured for him to follow. They stepped outside, and Gale shook his head.

“I still can’t believe this,” Gale said. “I never would have expected this kind of behavior from anyone here.” He sighed. “I know this isn’t exactly what you had planned for today, but I appreciate your help, nonetheless.”

Arlo looked down at himself, still dressed in his suit. “Oh,” he started. “I always dress up when I’m arresting people. It doesn’t happen often, you know.”

Gale offered him a crooked smile and nodded. “That it doesn’t,” he said softly. “Well. It’s still your day. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t have let anything stop me from marrying my wife.” He met Arlo’s gaze and smiled. “You better do that before anything more comes up. I’m sure Lee would be happy to resume the ceremony.”

*****

The sun had already set and the sky was darkening when Arlo found Kahli at home, still in her dress, leaning on the railing of the front porch. When she saw Arlo, she smiled and hurried to him, kissing him.

“Today was really, really unexpected,” she said.

Arlo sighed. “I know,” he said. But he smiled. “But I still get to marry you, right?”

“Well, I am wearing this dress. And you don’t look too bad yourself.” She shrugged. “Might as well. Got nothing better to do, right?”

Arlo laughed. “That’s the spirit,” he said. He held her hand and pulled her down the road. “C’mon,” he said. “Let me show you how to plan a wedding without all that other shit.”

Kahli giggled as she fell into step beside him. “You mean we didn’t need fifteen dozen rose bouquets and a flock of doves to take flight behind us and fireworks when we kiss?”

“Did she plan all that?”

“Probably,” Kahli said. “I kind of didn’t pay attention to any of it.”

Lee was already waiting at the beach when they arrived, and he smiled warmly in greeting.

“Where’s Sonia?” Lee looked around them nervously.

“Not here,” Kahli said.

Lee looked relieved. “She sure knows how to plan a wedding,” he said.

Kahli grinned. “It’s okay. You can say it. She’s crazy.”

Lee smiled. “Shall we? I think you both have waited long enough.” He cleared his throat, opened the book in his hand, and began to speak.

Kahli hardly paid any attention to Lee’s words, her heart racing with excitement. She grinned stupidly and met Arlo’s gaze, then blushed. Before she realized it, Lee had stopped speaking, and Arlo was slipping the ring on her finger. They leaned in to kiss, but a high pitched, whining sound caught her attention, and she turned her gaze to Amber Island as a bright streak shot up into the sky. After a split second, the firework exploded into a bright, golden display which fizzled and seemed to rain down above them. In the distance, she could hear the distinct laughter of the Hulu brothers as another was lit. It whined as it shot through the sky, then exploded.

“I know we don’t need fireworks,” Arlo said. “But I figured I could give you something.”

Kahli met his gaze, grinning. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into her and kissing him deeply as the fireworks lit up the night sky above them.


	40. Chapter 40

Kahli found Sonia outside the Round Table the next morning. She knew she had to come clean to her and tell her that she and Arlo got married behind her back. And worse, she had to tell Sonia the wedding would not be rescheduled. In that moment, she feared Sonia, knowing the wrath that would soon follow her admission. 

Sonia was sweeping in front of the door, and she looked up at Kahli and grinned when she approached.

“So,” Sonia started. “How was your evening?”

Kahli hesitated. It seemed Sonia knew more than Kahli realized. But that shouldn’t have surprised her. Sonia always knew everything that went on in town.

“Oh, relax,” Sonia said. “Where do you think Arlo got the fireworks?”

“Did you really have fireworks?” Kahli asked.

Sonia shrugged. “No. Not for the real wedding. So tacky.” She winked at Kahli. “But your secret little rendezvous needed something romantic. It’s the least I could have done since I knew you weren’t going to reschedule everything else I planned for you.”

Kahli smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for all your help.”

“It’s just nice to be recognized,” Sonia said.

“I love and appreciate you,” Kahli confirmed.

“I know. So, where are you and hubs honeymooning?”

Kahli laughed. “Right. Like we have time for that.”

Sonia sighed. “Where did the magic go?”

“Burned down with the warehouse,” Kahli muttered.

Sonia leaned on the broom. “Is it true, then? Did Tody do it?”

Kahli shrugged. “We don’t talk work.”

Sonia laughed, then shook her head. “Damn,” she said. “Tody, of all people. I guess it makes sense. This harbor does affect him. But he’s just the quietest person. I hardly see him around when he’s not dropping off fish to the restaurant. Guess it is always the quiet ones. First you, now Tody.”

“Me? What the hell did I do?”

“What didn’t you do?” Sonia said with a grin. “You came here and turned everyone’s damn lives upside down. Kicking bandirat ass, working harder than Higgins, of all people, and now you go off and marry one of us. Soon you’re gonna be having babies and running this damn town.”

Kahli grinned. “I don’t think so.”

“To what? Babies? Or running the town?”

Kahli hesitated. “Both?”

“You don’t want babies?” Sonia nearly shouted.

“I dunno,” Kahli said quickly. “I don’t have time to think about that.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “I just figured you and Arlo had already talked about this.”

“Arlo wants babies?”

Sonia shrugged. “I dunno. I just assume everyone does. Babies are cute.”

Kahli hesitated. She bit her lower lip. “I think I fucked up.”

Sonia laughed and resumed her sweeping. “Nah,” she said. “I mean, most normal people talk about these things before getting married. But maybe it never crossed his mind, either. You guys are kinda weird like that.” She glanced at Kahli, sensing her hesitation. “Oh, come on, stop worrying. I shouldn’t have said anything. You know me, I talk too much. You guys are fine. Arlo loves you, and that won’t change.”

“Sure.” Kahli sighed. “I got work to do.”

“Stop worrying,” Sonia repeated as Kahli turned away. “You overthink things!”

Maybe Sonia was right, but that didn’t change the fact that she did worry. She mulled it over the whole way to the Research Center, nearly bumping into Petra outside.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Petra started, “but after hours of thought and research, we have exactly zero solutions to your ac unit. We don't have the know-how required to even combine smaller ac units together to create a larger one. We tried with a few refrigerators and it didn't work. However, I did ask the Civil Corps, and they said they came across a room full of ac units inside the WOW Industries ruin. Maybe you can grab one from there?”

“The last time I went in there I had to fight off a giant rat.”

Petra smiled. “Well, I guess he won’t be there this time, huh?”

Kahli sighed. “Alright,” she said. “One ac unit coming up.”

*****

To Kahli’s relief, the WOW Industries ruins weren’t infested with rats like her last visit. She navigated the various corridors until she finally reached a dead end. At the far end of the room was a large hole in the wall with a grate across it. On the wall to the left, she noticed steam coming out of the wall. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a switch. Pressing it caused the bars to open, allowing her to enter the room behind the wall where she found various machines, and several of the air cooling units she was searching for.

She examined it carefully, studying all the working parts to it, then deconstructed it so she could carry it out of the ruins. She left without incident, returned to the harbor where construction had already begun on the new warehouse, and she reassembled the unit for Albert.

“You really saved my ass,” Albert said when she finished. “We should be able to complete the warehouse in no time.”

“And hopefully without further incident,” Kahli said.

Albert nodded. “The Civil Crops have been patrolling at night,” he said. “The town has really been buzzing about it all. Mayor Gale will need to address their concerns soon.”

Mayor Gale did address their concerns a few days later. The warehouse rebuild was nearing completion, and thus the rest of the harbor would soon be open for outside travel and trade. Mayor Gale addressed the town on Sunday evening during their regular town meeting.

“Yes, Tody burned down a warehouse under construction at the harbor,” he said. “Yes, he did it because he wanted to make a point. Was his point valid? Yes, of course. Should he have expressed his opinion the way he did?” He sighed. “We're a close knit society, a society based on law and order, a society better than the ones that existed during the Age of Darkness - or at least that's what I'd like to think. When our community has disagreements, we should air it out, talk about it and compromise. That's the type of community I want Portia to be. We all know Tody; he's a hardworking fella who likes his peace and quiet near the ocean. But what he did was wrong and he will be punished according to law. We cannot allow such behavior in Portia. Because he's shown regret and no one was hurt during this incident, I will be lenient. You all selected me as the mayor to make these tough decisions, and I'll see it through. Upgrading our port will damage the environment around the harbor. There's no way around that. Tody is correct that the ships traveling through will cause pollution. When I made the decision to cooperate with Mr. Musa on this project, I believed that the benefits outweighed the negatives. This still holds true today. The port will bring real benefits to our citizens: more goods, more income, higher quality of life. Therefore, I still think this project should be completed.”

“What about the environment, though?” Nora asked.

“I plan to establish a natural reserve on Starlight Island and its surrounding waters after the harbor has been completed,” Gale explained. “We should strive for a balance between using the world and protecting it. I'm certain Minister Lee would tell us that failing to do so will lead us to disaster. Anyone disagree?”

The crowd murmured and shook their heads, all in agreement with the mayor’s efforts to establish a reserve.

“Okay then,” Gale continued. “We'll proceed as planned. If anyone has questions about the Starlight Island Sanctuary, or any of the other projects in town, please come and discuss with me.”

Mayor Gale kept true to his promise, and within the week, and with Kahli’s help, an eco-friendly, propellerless boat had been made and set up in the harbor to travel to Starlight Island. Over the rest of the summer, a reserve had been established on the island, and aquatic life flourished. The harbor was a success, providing exactly what Mayor Gale had hoped for. Trade and tourism increased, providing Portia with the funds it needed to continue to provide for its residents.

Sonia went from wedding planner to travel planner, desperately trying to convince them to get away on a romantic trip, but it was never in the cards for them, each too busy in their work to find the time to leave Portia. They did, however, manage to sneak away a few times on the hot days of summer to Starlight Island where they simply enjoyed each other’s company. And everything felt right in the world.


	41. Chapter 41

The final days of summer were cool and stormy and a quiet autumn quickly followed. Kahli was in Peach Plaza, chatting casually with Emily and Sonia before she went into the Commerce Guild, but Mali found her before she could do so.

“My favorite builder!” She said in greeting.

Kahli smiled. “Hey Mali, what's up?”

“I was just thinking we haven’t been on an adventure in a while,” she said with a grin. “And we had so much fun last time.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Kahli said. “Can’t drag my husband along with you?”

“I’m thinking I’ll need your expertise,” she said. “There’s a ruin on Starlight Island that I want to check out before it gets too popular. There might be some more jammed doors I’ll need your help with. What do you say?”

“My standard fee has gone up,” Kahli said. “Now to include hazard pay.”

Mali laughed. “I think that can be arranged. I’ll meet you at the harbor.”

Kahli returned to her workshop to gather her tools, making sure to take with her the old sword she had found now two years ago. Two years she had been in Portia. She mused over this as she made her way to the harbor, a smile on her face.

“Someone looks eager,” Mali commented when Kahli approached.

They got on the boat and made their way to the island, arriving in just under a half an hour. When they stepped off, Mali looked around, her hands on her hips.

“This is a nice little island,” she commented, then waved for Kahli to follow her. “The ruins are just over here.”

They stepped into the ruins, splashing through the puddles of water, and Kahli followed Mali as they climbed a set of stairs.

“Looks like an old office park,” Mali remarked. “We get these a lot in Lucien. Stay close. Arlo will definitely kill me if I let something happen to his wifey.”

They had only been inside for a few moments before they came across several AIs in the form of dogs. Attack dogs, of course, likely created to guard something of importance that was once in the old building. Kahli helped Mali dispose of them quickly, then they continued on their way until they reached a broken door. Kahli quickly and easily rewired it, and the door opened, bringing them into a large room.

Mali moved to a table, picking up a device that caught her eye and inspected it.

“This is interesting,” she mused. “Do you know what these are?”

Kahli looked over her shoulder at the device in her hands. “No.”

“They're designs for processors,” she explained. “Pretty useless to us now, since we're not about to produce any of the parts.” She looked around. “So, this is a design facility. We'll need to be careful, there might be more of those guard AIs.”

They moved on, ascending another set of stairs where they encountered several more AIs, then moved down the corridor until they reached a broken lift.

“The motor for the lift is broken. Can you fix it?”

Kahli examined the motor for a moment, then set to work tinkering with it. After a few minutes, she got the lift to work, and it brought them further up the tower. They stepped out into a large room with windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The sun’s rays streamed through the cracks in the ceiling, making the room very warm, even in the cool, fall weather. Across the way on the far wall was a door guarded by two large AIs, which Kahli guessed to be at least three times their size.

“Those things could step on us,” she muttered.

Mali grinned. “Well, don’t get stepped on, then!”

Alerted to their presence, the two AIs activated, and they stepped toward the center of the room, keeping their two victims in range.

“I’ve encountered similar AIs before,” Mali said. “If they’re anything like the ones I found in Lucien -”

But she didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence. The two AIs stopped for a moment, and a sound that Kahli could only guess was them warming up to do something big came from them.

“Move!”

Mali lunged toward Kahli, throwing them both to the ground just as two green lasers shot out of the AIs. The lasers made impact with the ground where they stood, just yards away from them now, and the ground burst into flames, charring.

“Hey, look,” Mali said. “I was right!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kahli muttered as they both got to their feet. 

The AIs had resumed their pursuit, and Kahli and Mali split, each running to the opposite end of the room. An AI followed each of them, and their lasers charged once more. Kahli jumped out of the way as the laser was fired, shattering the window behind her. She sprinted in towards the AI, dodging its feet as it turned in an attempt to stomp on her. She threw herself at the leg, clinging to it as the AI attempted to dislodge her. Her bright idea was to try to climb the thing and destroy its circuitry, but that proved to be much harder than she anticipated. She lost her grip on the machine and dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way and just narrowly missing its foot as it came down hard, cracking the floor beneath it.

“Lure it over here!” she heard Mali shout. Kahli looked around quickly, finding Mali on the other side of the room, dodging another laser attack.

Kahli ran toward her, and the AI followed. Mali, too, ran toward the center of the room, and the second AI followed. Each AI had their lasers charged, and at the last moment, Kahli and Mali both threw themselves out of the way of their blasts.

The two laser attacks instead hit the opposite AI, knocking them both off their feet and onto the ground, their chests ablaze and their wiring exposed. Being as large as they were, they were too slow to return to their feet, giving Kahli and Mali their chance to jump onto the AI. Kahli plunged her sword into the flames, cutting through the AI’s circuitry and the machine’s life quickly ended.

“Always an exciting adventure with you, Kahli,” Mali said, wiping her hands together. “I’d say we make a pretty good team.”

“Just don’t tell Arlo,” Kahli said with a grin.

Mali zipped her lips closed, then gestured for Kahli to follow. They moved through the doorway at the other end into another room, much smaller than where they just were. Against the wall was a table with a glass chamber, and Mali approached, removing the lid and picking up a device.

“This is it!” she exclaimed. “The passcode key! To the Locator Computer we found!”

Kahli had almost completely forgotten about the key that she promised to find and give to Petra. She examined it as Mali explained it to her.

“Most countries back in the Age of Corruption had powerful AIs called All Source AIs,” she said. “They ran everything, from their infrastructure to their military. Because of how sensitive they were, the locations for these AIs were always hidden, and only key personnel were able to access them. At least that's what the old books said. There were always rumors that one such AI was around these parts, but I never bought into that.” She sighed dreamily. “This could be a momentous discovery. We need to get this back to the Research Center.”

They made their way out of the ruins and took the boat back to the harbor where they parted ways.

*****

The following morning, Kahli found herself in the Town Hall with Mali, Mayor Gale, Merlin, Lee, and Arlo.

“Thanks for gathering here,” Mayor Gale started. “We've got a big issue on our hands. I think everyone but the Minister here already knows. We've got our hands on the passcode key needed for the All Source locator thing. We know that Huss and Tuss were set up, so the thief is still out there, and there’s no doubt that he’s after this key, too.”

“Shouldn't we just destroy it?” Lee said. “It's too dangerous for us to handle. We don't really need to know where this AI is, do we? Let it be buried forever!”

“We still need to study it!” Merlin hissed at him.

“That thought has crossed my mind,” Gale admitted. “But on matters like these, we'll need the Alliance government to make a decision. This All Source might be a boon to our survival.”

“And have you telegraphed our representative, yet?” Lee asked.

“Not yet,” he said. “I’m afraid the word might get out.”

“I'll personally go to Atara to deliver this news,” Mali offered. “Telegraphs can be intercepted.”

“Fine, but what about the actual Locator Computer?” Lee turned to Merlin. “Have your researchers already taken a look?”

“No, the mayor failed to see the possibilities of exploring the contents of that machine.” Merlin narrowed her gaze slightly on Gale.

“The Civil Corps are holding on to the key for now,” Gale said. “While we wait for Mali to return, we should focus our efforts on finding the thief before he has a chance to get his hands on the locator and the key.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” Lee asked. “We cannot let this fall into the wrong hands.”

“I’m sure we could lure him out,” Arlo said. “He’s looking for All Source, right? Well, why not pretend we have it? Spread word that we’ve found it. He’s bound to show up, and on our terms.”

“It's a decent plan,” Mali said. “Once we capture this thief, a lot of our worries will evaporate.”

“We can make a model of it,” Arlo suggested. He turned to Kahli. “Are you up for it?”

“I don’t know what this damn thing looks like,” Kahli said.

“But Ack might,” Mali pointed out.

“Just keep things quiet,” Gale said. “As far as anyone knows, we have the real All Source.”

“I pray you all know what you're doing,” Lee said.


	42. Chapter 42

Kahli found Ack inside the Round Table. He and Django were chatting casually, to her surprise. It seemed over the last year they had set aside their differences and learned to appreciate one another, sharing their favorite recipes and cooking techniques.

Ack turned to Kahli when she approached and offered her a warm greeting.

“I’ve got a favor to ask of you,” Kahli said. “Do you have a minute?”

“For you, Miss Kahli, I’ve got two.”

“I suppose I should get ready for the lunch rush, anyway,” Django said, getting to his feet.

Ack followed Kahli outside.

“I’m wondering if you can tell me what All Source looks like,” Kahli said.

“Holy cabana!” Ack exclaimed. “All Source? My interfacing computer was called an All Source AI. Not that I've ever met her in person. Why do you need to know what an All Source computer looks like?”

Kahli hesitated. “Uh, just curious,” she said.

“Ah,” Ack started. “Top secret! I gotcha. I can give you a rough drawing, but if it doesn't look right, don't blame me. Alright?”

Kahli smiled. “I wouldn’t dare,” she said.

She watched as Ack scribbled on a piece of paper, muttering to himself as he tried to recall what All Source looked like. After a few crossed out marks and a few hastily drawn lines, Ack handed her the page with his very rough sketch of All Source.

“I’m a chef, not an artist,” he said as he read Kahli’s confused expression.

Kahli smiled. “This is perfect,” she assured him. “I appreciate your help.”

“Anything for my friend.”

Kahli returned to her workshop with the drawing and set to work. It wasn’t much as far as diagrams went, and if she were being honest, she was really just winging most of it. Ack’s sketch was rough, but it gave her a general idea, and she used a little imagination and her experience with other AIs to fill in the missing pieces, making it as robotic and official looking as possible. By the end of the day, it was complete, and she stood before the All Source model, her head cocked to the side. She didn’t turn to Arlo when he entered.

“Is that it?” he asked.

Kahli frowned. “I dunno,” she said with a sigh. She shoved Ack’s sketch into his chest. “I’m working with amateurs, here.”

Arlo looked at the sketch and snorted.

“This will never work,” Kahli said. “No one’s going to believe this.” She gestured to the model. “What the fuck is this?!” She sighed. “Ack played me. Damnit, Ack! I thought we were friends!”

“It doesn’t sound like All Source is a well known AI,” Arlo said. “Mali said so herself, right? These things were kept pretty hidden. Can’t expect he’d know what it would look like.”

“I was kind of hoping it was some innate knowledge programmed into all AIs or something,” Kahli muttered.

“On the plus side,” Arlo started, “it’s very unlikely this thief will know what it looks like. So we might get away with this.”

“What I’m hearing is ‘this sucks but it’ll do.’”

Arlo grinned and kissed her head. “The mayor will let it slip that we’ve found All Source and plan to destroy it,” he said. “If the thief is here, that will get his attention. We can set up the model somewhere outside of town.”

“And do what, exactly?” Kahli folded her arms over her chest and raised a brow at him. “Hide in some bushes, wait for him to show, and ambush him?”

Arlo shrugged. “Something like that.”

Kahli stared at him. “You’re the damn leader of the Civil Corps,” she said. “That’s the best damn idea you’ve got?”

“Excuse me,” he said. “Do you have something better?” 

Kahli sighed. “No, not really.” She bit her lower lip. “We don’t know who the thief is. Clearly, whoever it is is smart enough to use Huss and Tuss against us. It would be foolish to assume they’re not a threat. They could be dangerous. They could be armed.” She hesitated, her brows furrowed. “Who here would want All Source? And why?” She turned to Arlo. “Do you think… someone here is working for Duvos?”

“I considered it,” Arlo said slowly.

“And you didn’t think it was worth mentioning?”

“Mali and I discussed it with the mayor,” he said. 

“And, what, you weren’t going to say anything?”

“You’re just like everyone else here,” Arlo reminded her. “You’re not entitled to know what we discuss.”

“I am helping you build this stupid model,” Kahli muttered.

“Leave the potential traitors to us, alright?” He frowned. “If Duvos is involved in this, I don’t want you anywhere near it.”

“They’re gonna start a damn war,” Kahli said softly.

“Don’t worry,” Arlo assured her. “Mali’s three steps ahead. We just need to get to the bottom of this, first.”

“Alright,” she said. She blew her hair out of her face. “So, back to your stupid plan of ambushing this thief.”

“I guess we’re calling it stupid,” Arlo said.

“If you’re going to try to lure him out on the premise that you’re destroying it, then you need to, you know, act like you’re destroying it. Can’t just set it up somewhere and wait for him to show. He’s smart enough to use Huss and Tuss against us; he’ll know it’s a trap.”

“Are you going to keep insinuating that I’m an idiot or just tell me your idea?”

Kahli smiled at him. “I love you. And I know you’re smart enough to know to come to me for help with this. Because I do have an idea.”

“Get on with it,” Arlo muttered.

“You need a pressure plate,” Kahli said. “I’ve come across a few in some of the ruins. When stepped on, it will release a trap. A cage, or something. We can use one of the old ruins and hide the trap in the ceiling tiles, and install a pressure plate on the floor. When he gets near the model, the trap is activated, and the cage drops down on him. Bam!”

Arlo nodded. “And you can make something like that?”

Kahli shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” she said. “I’m not super familiar with pressure plates, but it can’t be too difficult. Some wiring through the walls. It’ll be a lot to set up, but if I get Petra to help, I think we can pull it off.”

“I knew there was a reason I married you,” Arlo said with a grin.

“You mean it wasn’t for my good looks and charm?”

“Some people call it attitude, but sure, we can go with charm.”

“Rude.”

Arlo kissed her. “Get to work, then,” he said. “The sooner we can trap this thief, the better.”

“Yes, sir.”

*****

The next day, Kahli explained what she needed to Petra, leaving out any details that might hint to their plan. She didn’t want to believe Petra was a traitor, but she knew now that there was someone likely in Portia that could not be trusted. Her friendships, it seemed, were all in question, but she tried to push those thoughts aside, focusing only on the task at hand.

With Petra’s knowledge, they were able to come up with just the design she needed, and Kahli spent the next several days working diligently on the trap in secrecy in her workshop. When she finished the pressure plates, she made her way to the ruins on the Western Plateau where they agreed to set the trap, and she installed the plates on the floor. She ran the wires up the wall and toward the ceiling, then returned the next day with the trap pieces. She welded them together in the ruins, then installed it above the ceiling tiles and completed the wiring.

When it was complete, she tossed her heavy pack onto the floor where the pressure plates were hidden. The trap activated, and the cage dropped through the ceiling, landing perfectly where she expected it to.

Feeling satisfied with her work, she pulled the cage back into the ceiling and replaced the ceiling tiles, hiding the cage from sight. 

The whole process took a few weeks before the trap was complete, and at the next town meeting, Mayor Gale casually let slip that they had found All Source and planned to destroy it. He noted that the ruins on the Western Plateau were strictly off limits, per order of the Civil Corps so that the AI could be disposed of properly. 

That evening, Mali, Sam, Remington, and Mayor Gale gathered together in Kahli’s dining room, reviewing their plan to catch the thief. 

“And the pressure plates will work?” Mali asked.

“Anything heavier than a bag of tools,” Kahli confirmed. “The bars of the cage are steel. No one’s breaking out of there.”

Mali nodded. “Good,” she said. “I knew I could count on you.” She turned to address the rest of them. “Tomorrow, we’ll set the All Source model up inside. If the thief is, in fact, someone here, I don’t expect it will take them long to show up. We’ll meet there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Have fun with that,” Kahli said.

“You, too,” Mali said.

“Why?” Arlo hissed.

“Are you going to fix the damn thing if something goes wrong?” Mali sneered at Arlo.

“Settle down, ladies,” Kahli said. “I’m just the guy who fixes shit. I’ll stay out of the way. Promise.”

“Be prepared for anything,” Mali said. “Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll have our answers.”


	43. Chapter 43

The next morning, Kahli, Mali, Arlo, Sam, and Remington gathered together outside of the Computer Lab Ruins on the Western Plateau. They made their way inside to where the trap was set up, and Kahli carefully placed the All Source model in the space within where the pressure plates were located.

With the trap complete, the five of them head in the next room where they watched through a vent in the wall. And they waited for the thief to show.

Kahli sat in the back corner, her knees pulled to her chest as she stared into space. It took everything she had to keep herself from sighing loudly out of boredom. She tapped her fingers against her knees softly as she waited. It seemed the others, too, were just as anxious as she was, and Remington took to pacing. In truth, no one particularly wanted to know who among them was the traitor. The thought alone was enough to sicken them, and Kahli could have sworn the three officers even regarded one another suspiciously. 

She chewed on her lower lip as time passed slowly. She found herself reviewing every moment in her life over the last two years. Every conversation she had, every interaction between friends. She considered everyone in town a friend. They each had an effect on her life as she was sure she had on theirs. She couldn’t possibly believe one of them was a traitor. They were all so kind. So considerate. So caring. They helped one another in any way they could. Emily, her first friend in Portia, the warmest, the most welcomed presence. Sophie, a kind, caring woman who always made her pies. Presley, a friend of her father’s, a comrade to Gale, even in war. Russo, Gale’s trusted Butler. Ginger, frail and sweet. Gust… well, she couldn’t say much for Gust. He always came off as standoffish, and maybe a little over protective of his younger sister.

But she couldn’t stop herself from seeing the bad qualities of these people. Sonia, the gossiper. Tody, the arsonist. Lee, who refused to accept any kind of change. And wasn’t it always the people you least expected? Who would distrust a minister? Or his student? Or the Civil Corps, for that matter. The very people that swore to protect Portia.

Kahli’s brows furrowed. Her stomach twisted nervously. She had lived in Portia for two years, now, but the truth was, that didn’t mean anything. Many in Portia came to escape their pasts. Any one of them could have been holding deep, dark secrets. Even the people she trusted most. The people she loved. The people that had become her family.

She glanced at Arlo, and he met her gaze, but she couldn’t read him. Was he going over his entire life in his head, too? Was he doubting her, just as she regretfully doubted him? She pulled her gaze away, feeling ashamed, but the daunting truth remained: none of them had a damn clue who to trust.

But just as it seemed like they would never get their answer, they heard footsteps coming down the corridor. Kahli stayed sitting in her corner, watching as they quietly scrambled to the vent to catch a glimpse of who the thief - the traitor - was. The footsteps grew louder, echoing off the walls as they stepped into the room. They paused for a moment, looking around them before approaching the All Source model. As soon as they stepped on the pressure plates, the trap dropped, enclosing them within the steel bars of the cage.

The four of them hurried out into the room, leaving Kahli to hang back, hesitant, peering around the corner as they confronted the thief. To their dismay, however, the figure was masked, concealing his identity. He looked up and turned to them as they approached the cage, but he did not speak.

“Who are you?” Mali asked, her voice hard.

“He’ll be in there for a while,” Arlo assured her. “We have ample time to ask him questions. For now, I want to know who’s under that mask.”

The masked man spoke, but his voice was unrecognizable. “Are you done?”

They stared at him for a moment.

“What?”

“I suppose you think you’re clever for setting up a trap like this,” the masked man continued. “But you made one mistake.”

“He’s a knight,” Mali hissed.

The knight stretched his arm left out and a blast triggered from a device on his wrist. He fired it at the All Source model, destroying it. With his right hand, he pulled a sword from the sheath on his back, and in two swift movements, he cut through the steel bars of the cage like butter. He stepped out of the cage, sword in hand, and approached them. The four officers drew their weapons, then lunged at the knight.

Kahli had never seen a knight before, and from what little she had heard of them, she thought they were just distorted legends. The truth was, the stories she had heard seemed like innocent fairy tales in comparison to the truth strength of the knight that they were now facing. He was fast, he was strong, and there was a power behind his attacks that Kahli couldn’t even begin to explain, as if there was some magic at play. 

The four officers simply couldn’t keep up with him, despite the fact that they outnumbered him. The knight was far too strong a fighter compared to them, and it didn’t take an expert to see that they were fighting a losing battle. She noticed they turned to defensive stances, now simply hoping just to survive.

Kahli knew she would be no help to them, but she couldn’t stand back and watch them get their asses kicked, either. She found her perfect opportunity when the knight was exposed, the four officers struggling to return to their feet.

“This was fun,” the knight said. “But I must take my leave. I do not have time for your games.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Arlo muttered.

Kahli took advantage of the moment, drew her sword, and sprinted towards them. She lunged at the knight, her leg outstretched in an attempt to catch him by surprise and knock him backwards, but his reflections were sharp, and he caught her ankle, twisting violently and sending her flying across the room.

The others lunged at him, too, but the knight took each of them out quickly, cutting through their defenses and throwing them against the wall. Mali was the last on her feet, but before she could attack him again, he outstretched his arm, palm out toward her, and she was thrust backwards suddenly, crashing against the wall where she fell to the ground, unconscious.

*****

There was a high pitched buzzing sound. Kahli tried to block it out, to move her arms and cover her ears. But she couldn’t quite find her ears. Her arms - were they even moving? Her heart raced in her chest. It was so dark. She opened her eyes, but her vision was blurred. She blinked, giving them a moment to adjust. The room brightened, but still, her vision had not focused. Beneath the ringing in her ears, she thought she heard voices, faint and distant. She looked around and saw blurred shapes around her. They were moving slowly as they each came to, and they called to one another.

She tried to push herself, but the movement made her head spin, and she dropped back to the floor. Her stomach twisted and she closed her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling as if she hadn’t breathed for several minutes. She tried to move her legs, but a sharp pain shot up her right leg from her ankle and she whimpered. The voices around her grew louder. She started to distinguish them; Mali. Remington.

“Arlo.”

Footsteps shuffled and hurried to her. She felt arms pull at her, lift her. She opened her eyes; her vision was less blurred, now, and she met Arlo’s gaze. Her pulse slowed. The ringing in her ears quieted some as she became more grounded in reality. She looked around again. Mali was just getting to her feet, slowly. There was a laceration on her head, and blood dripped down her face. She winced and pressed a palm to her head. She turned her gaze in their direction, then to Remington and Sam.

Kahli followed her gaze. Remington was helping Sam to her feet, catching her when she stumbled. Their lips moved, speaking to one another, but Kahli couldn’t make out their words. Their gazes moved to Mali, and they spoke to her. Then Sam turned her gaze to Kahli, her face pale.

Arlo’s hand moved to her cheek and Kahli turned her gaze back to him. It was then she noticed the seemingly large gash on his shoulder, and an involuntary sob escaped her throat.

“Hey, hey,” he said quickly. “I’m fine, yeah?”

She swallowed in an attempt to keep herself from crying out. Her head was throbbing and she closed her eyes, feeling too tired to keep them open.

“No, Kahli,” Arlo muttered.

“I’m okay,” Kahli muttered.

“Stay awake,” Arlo said.

She forced herself to open her eyes, but the act of doing so felt too strenuous. “I’m… tired.”

“No, no,” he begged her. “Listen to me. We need to get out of here.”

Kahli nodded. “Okay,” she said softly. She allowed Arlo to pull her up, but the moment she put weight on her foot, she collapsed, and Arlo caught her.

“What’s wrong? Your leg. Is it broken?”

“No,” she muttered. She winced, but forced her eyes to remain open. “I think… just sprained.”

Mali, Sam, and Remington had made it over to them, then. They spoke quickly, and Kahli had to force herself to try to understand them.

“He’s gone,” Mali said.

“A knight,” Remington said. “But why? What does he want with All Source?”

“Why,” Kahli started slowly. “Why… didn’t he… kill us?”

They fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances with one another. Kahli couldn’t explain the sense of fear that washed over her suddenly, and she began to tremble violently. Unsuspecting tears rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed. Arlo pulled her into his chest and kissed her head.

“Fuck,” Mali spat. “What the fuck.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Sam muttered.

“Sam and I will run and get a dee-dee,” Remington said. “We’ll meet you back here as soon as we can.”

“I’ll stay with them,” Mali confirmed. “Can we at least get out of this damn ruin?”

Arlo nodded. He lifted Kahli, carrying her carefully in his arms, and the five of them exited the ruin, stepping back out onto the plateau. It was early in the evening, and the sun was just beginning its descent. Sam and Remington hurried toward town, and Arlo, Mali, and Kahli waited. Her eyes were closed, but as they waited, she clung to Arlo, flexing her fingers against him as much as she had the strength to do so to remind him that she was still alive.

“I’m sorry,” Mali muttered. She pressed a palm to her forehead. “I never thought something like this would happen.”

“No one did,” Arlo said.

Mali shook her head, but she offered no further response.

Arlo glanced at her. “Are you okay?”

“I have the worst headache of my damn life and I feel like I’m going to vomit.” She sighed. “But, I’ve had worse days.” She wiped her hand across her head, but the bleeding had since stopped.

Arlo stared out over the horizon. “Why did he leave us alive?”

“I don’t know,” Mali said softly. “I don’t understand any of it.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s not the bad guy.”

“He doesn’t exactly seem like a good guy,” Arlo muttered.

“Well,” Mali started. “He doesn’t have All Source yet. Maybe we can beat him to it.”

Arlo glanced at her, his brows furrowed. “At what cost?”

Her gaze hardened. “That’s not for you to decide,” she said frankly. “Besides. If this gets into the wrong hands, it will be at the cost of all our lives. It’s our job to prevent that from happening.”

Silence fell between them. Kahli tightened her hold on Arlo. His fingers moved through her hair and against her cheek. They spoke very little for the remainder of the time they waited until finally, two dee-dees came into view and pulled up beside them, with Dr. Xu aboard one. He jumped out before the vehicle came to a stop and hurried over to them. Kahli was moved carefully into one of the vehicles and they returned to Portia.

*****

They all suffered concussions, and Dr. Xu held them all for observation overnight. By morning, Kahli felt worlds better, despite the dull, throbbing pain in her ankle. It was a minor fracture, but Dr. Xu warned her that any further stress would make it worse. She promised him she would stay off of it, which meant she would be unlikely to work for the next few weeks.

The others were bandaged up as well, and a few days later, they all gathered in the Town Hall where they explained to Mayor Gale what had happened.

“I'm leaving right away,” Mali told him. “I need to report this to the Alliance Council. If a knight is around here looking for the All Source, then I'm afraid it's no longer a case of local crime. I'll take the passcode key with me.”

“Yes,” Gale said slowly. “I suppose you must. I’ll telegraph our representative as well.”

“Don't,” she said. “At least not yet. Wait for word from the council. I'll also try to bring some reinforcement.” She turned to address the Civil Corps officers. “You guys did well, all things considered. It's not easy facing a knight. Keep your heads up and keep up your guards, Portia needs you guys now more than ever. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She left the clinic, and Gale sighed, shaking his head.

“I can't believe Portia is facing a crisis like this.”

“What do you want us to do?” Remington asked.

“With the passcode key gone, there's not much we or the thief can do. So, we wait. Put a guard at the Research Center at all times, just in case.”


	44. Chapter 44

The rest of the autumn was quiet, but no one minded much, grateful for the peace after their unexpected encounter with the rogue knight. And there was nothing more they could do but wait for Mali’s return, who would hopefully return with answers. 

Despite this momentary peace, it seemed Kahli seemed less of Arlo than ever. Without much to do for work while her ankle was healing, she spent most of her days at home, with frequent visits from Emily and Sophie. When she was finally able to ditch the crutches, she ventured into town to have lunch with Antoine, Emily, and Sonia.

It was a cooler day midseason when Sam ventured into the Round Table for a quick lunch while on her usual patrol, and she stood beside the table where the four of them sat.

“How’s the ankle?” she asked Kahli.

Kahli stretched her foot out and wiggled it. “Good as new.”

Sam nodded.

“Hey,” Kahli started. “What’s Arlo been up to? I feel like I never see him.”

“Wow,” Antoine said. “That marriage lasted long.”

Sonia kicked him from under the table and he yelped.

Sam grinned. “Nah, he’s been over on Amber Island.” Her brows furrowed. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No? What’s he doing there?”

“Oh.” Sam paused. “I dunno,” she said. “Patrol or something.” She turned her attention to Sonia. “Make me a sammich.”

Sonia raised a brow at her. “Excuse me?”

Sam grinned at her. “Please? I’m starving!”

Sonia rolled her eyes and slid out from the booth. Sam followed her to the bar.

“Why’s he working so much?” Emily asked.

“I don’t know,” Kahli said slowly. “He leaves before it’s even light out, and if I’m still up when he gets home, he usually goes straight to bed.”

“Sounds like he needs a break,” Emily said. “From whatever the hell he’s doing.”

Kahli nodded in agreement. She put her payment on the table for Sonia and stood.

“I’ll see ya later,” she said. She waved to Sonia and Sam when she walked by, then left, quickly making her way to Amber Island.

She had just crossed the bridge and was making her way around the cave when she heard voices. On the other side of the trees, near the shore, she could see Arlo and Django. It seemed they were training together, much like Kahli had trained with Django. She hesitated, watching as they fought one another. It seemed they had already been at it for quite a while, judging by Arlo’s stance. He was getting sloppy; not that she was expert by any means, nor had she ever studied his fighting style. But it was clear when Django knocked him off his feet. Arlo stayed sitting on the ground as Django stood over him. Django lowered his sword and spoke to him, but Kahli could not make out the conversation.

She stepped through the trees, catching the attention of the two men. Django offered her a smile in greeting, but Arlo pulled his gaze away.

“Is this what you’ve been doing the last few weeks?” Kahli asked.

“Apologies,” Django said. “He’s persistent. And I’m not the young fighter I used to be.” He turned to Arlo, still on the ground. “Let’s call it for today, shall we?”

Arlo sighed. “Fine.”

Django said goodbye to Kahli, then left them alone on the island.

“Why are you doing this?” Kahli asked, her brows furrowed.

“Because I have to,” Arlo said simply.

Kahli sighed. She made her way to Arlo and sat beside him. “Because of the rogue knight?” she asked after a moment.

Arlo’s brows furrowed. “Because what happened can’t happen again.”

“Arlo -”

“I can’t lose you,” he snapped. He met Kahli’s gaze. “I thought…”

Kahli leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Arlo shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have -”

Kahli pulled away, her brows furrowed. “There was nothing you could have done,” she hissed.

“There should have been,” Arlo said. “I need to be better.”

“It doesn’t matter how good you are,” she started. “Shit happens. Freak accidents and just plain bad luck. I’m not worried about how good you are. What worries me is what will happen if you can’t stop something bad from happening. I know you; you’ll blame yourself for whatever happens, and it will eat you up and destroy you.” She hesitated. “No matter what happens, you can’t blame yourself.”

Arlo was quiet. He looked out over the ocean toward the horizon.

Kahli got to her feet. “Please don’t kill yourself training,” she said. She offered him a smile. “I miss you.”

Arlo turned his gaze to the ground and said nothing more. Kahli sighed softly, then turned away, leaving him alone on the island.

On the other side of the bridge, she found Django.

“Django,” she started, and he met her gaze. “Is it true? Were you a knight?”

Django smiled. “Course I was,” he said.

Kahli frowned. She knew he always told the kids that, and she guessed it was always just an elaborate story he made up to entertain them.

“Do you know much about knights?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“The rogue knight.” She hesitated. “Are we in over our heads?”

Django’s smile disappeared. He did not answer her, but it was answer enough. Kahli let out a short sigh and nodded her head. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I’m afraid not, my dear,” Django said.

Kahli pulled her gaze away and looked back toward the island, but she could not see Arlo through the trees.

“Thanks,” she muttered, then stepped around him to return home.

To her relief, Arlo returned home much earlier than he had been the last few weeks, though he looked just as tired as ever. Defeated, even. She moved to him and wrapped her arms around him, then turned her face up to kiss him.

He kissed back forcefully, pulling her into him. They stood for a moment, then Kahli pulled him through the house and up the stairs into their bedroom. They undressed quickly, then dropped onto the bed together. In the dim, fading daylight, Kahli could just make out the scar on his shoulder, and she hesitated. She met Arlo’s gaze, and Arlo pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. Kahli brushed her hands through his hair and let out a content sigh, happy to be in his embrace once more.

*****

It was just the start of winter when the Council Guards arrived in Portia, and a decision had been made regarding the All Source AI. Kahli, Arlo, Sam, and Remington found themselves in the Town Hall with Mayor Gale, Higgins, and Merlin, where they met the captain of the Council Guards, Ursula. She stood tall, her shoulders pulled back proudly, and she regarded them with a sense of condescension. 

“She and her team have been sent here by the council to reinforce us,” Mayor Gale explained to them. “I-”

“Yes, yes,” Ursula interrupted. “Let me just get to the point. After listening to the report from Mali, the Council has decided that it's imperative that we find the All Source AI right away. It's essential to the survival of the Free Cities in the face of adversaries like Duvos.”

“You want to use it against Duvos?” Merlin asked.

“That's not for me to say,” Ursula said. “My mission is to find it and take it back to Atara for study.”

“You know, I'm never one to stand in the way of progress,” Merlin started, “and this is going to make me sound like Lee, but who made a decision like that? We don't know anything about All Source!” She turned to Mayor Gale expectantly. 

“I have received a telegraph from our representative saying that the majority of the Council voted for this,” Gale said slowly. “I can't believe it myself.”

“Those fools,” Merlin hissed.

“I brought the passcode key back with me,” Ursula continued. “I'll need the researchers to help us locate the AI.”

“Why didn’t Mali come?” Arlo asked, his arms crossed.

“She's still being debriefed, especially about this rogue knight. She'll come later.”

“What am I here for?” Higgins sneered.

“We might run into situations where we need Builders,” Ursula said. “I thought a man of your reputation needed to know.”

Higgins let a sly smile pull at his lips, and he made sure to glance Kahli’s way to confirm that she heard, but Kahli ignored him.

“We'll establish a team to look for and eliminate this rogue knight,” Ursula went on. “Arlo, why don't you lead that team? Take one of my men, Ryder. Start with the perimeter of the town; we don't know where he could be hiding.”

“Sure.”

“We'll start looking for the AI right away,” she said. “I'll be in touch. Any questions?

Gale raised a finger, about to speak, but Ursula interrupted him.

“Good, that is all. Meeting adjourned.” And with that, she left the Town Hall.

Gale cleared her throat. “Well, alright, then,” he muttered. “She gets right down to business, doesn’t she?”

“Seems she knows what she’s talking about,” Higgins said. “Like she’d need competent help. Someone who actually does their job and doesn’t cause more trouble for everyone else.”

“I will punch you,” Kahli hissed at him. “I’m not afraid to punch girls.”

“I’ll allow it,” Arlo said, his gaze narrowed on Higgins.

“Of course you would. She’s fucking you.”

Arlo lunged at him, but Remington was quick to pull him back and restrain him.

“That’s quite enough,” Gale shouted at them.

Higgins flashed them a grin, then left the Town Hall.

“What the fuck is that guy’s problem?” Sam said.

“He wasn’t loved as a child,” Kahli said.

“Or now,” Remington remarked snidely.

Arlo pulled himself angrily out of Remington’s grip, but made no motion to go after Higgins.

“I don’t know if I like this,” Merlin said. She shook her head. “I’m all for finding All Source and studying it, but we don’t know what it’s capable of. It cannot get in the wrong hands.”

“It’s out of our control, now,” Gale said. “Do as she asks. Perhaps the council knows something we don’t.”

“What about the knight?” Kahli asked. “Are we so sure he’s even still in Portia?”

“She seems to think so,” Sam said with disdain in her voice. 

“If All Source is here, and the knight is looking for it, then I’m sure he’s still here, too,” Remington pointed out.

“And you don’t know who this knight is?” Gale asked.

Arlo shook his head, but said nothing more.

Gale sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t bring myself to believe that someone here would do all this. I’m sure this goes without saying, but none of this leaves this room.”

They all nodded solemnly. 

“And whatever she asks of you.” Gale turned to Kahli. “Just be careful.”

Kahli nodded, and Gale turned to Arlo. “A word?”

Kahli glanced at Arlo hesitantly, then followed Merlin, Remington, and Sam out of the Town Hall and into the plaza.

“I hope Mali comes back soon,” Sam said. “I don’t like this bitch.”

“Easy,” Remington warned. “This has gotten way bigger than any of us.”

“Well, I’ve had enough fun,” Kahli muttered. “They can take it all back to Atara for all I care. Let it be their problem.”

Sam glanced at the Town Hall. “What do you think they’re talking about in there?”

“Something that’s none of our business,” Remington said.

“But we’re the Civil Corps,” Sam said. Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t get the sense he’s been hiding things from us?”

Remington hesitated. “I do. But I’m sure he has a good reason for it.”

Sam turned to Kahli. “What do you know?”

“Nothing,” Kahli said. “He doesn’t tell me shit, either.”

“But if you withhold sex-”

“I’m not doing that,” Kahli hissed. “Rem is right. If there’s something he’s not telling you, he has a reason for it.”

“I don’t like it,” Sam said. “And I don’t like Ursula.”

*****

It was several days before any of them heard from Ursula again. Kahli found her in central plaza, standing just outside of the Research Center in discussion with Merlin. When she saw Kahli, she gestured for Kahli to approach.

“Glad you’re here,” she said. “We’ve figured out how to get to All Source. Using the Locator Computer, we found that to reach the location of All Source, we’ll need to manually turn on three keys at three separate locations. Following?”

Kahli nodded.

“We have identified these locations,” Ursula continued. “But two of them are in The Somber Marsh north of Portia. And from what I've gathered, they are hard to get to. That's priority number one for you. You and Higgins are to build up all necessary links to the marsh. I’m giving you the eastern route. Think you can handle it?” She handed Kahli a rolled up blueprint.

“Sure.” Kahli took the blueprint from her and looked it over quickly.

Ursula nodded. “Be quick about it. We don’t know when the rogue knight will strike again. In the meantime, we have a team prepared to take a dive into the location south of the marsh. Report back to me as soon as it’s finished.”

Kahli hesitated, glancing in Merlin’s direction. “You got it,” she said, then left them alone, heading out of the plaza and back to her workshop.

She began working right away, reviewing the prints and creating the pieces she would need to build the ramp for the eastern route. She worked well into the evening until Arlo returned home, and he poked his head inside. 

Kahli was leaning over the table, staring down at the prints, and he moved to her side to glance at the diagrams.

“Ursula?”

Kahli sighed. “Yeah.”

“You’re not giving her shit, are you?”

Kahli straightened. “I’m not a child,” she said. “I know who I can mess with, and who to stay clear of.”

“Good,” Arlo said. “The less you talk to her, the better.”

Kahli glanced at him. “Why?”

Arlo held her gaze for a moment, then pulled away. He stretched his arms over his head. “Because she’s way above me and Mali. She doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

Kahli bit her lip and turned back to the blueprints. She considered Sam’s earlier concerns.

“Arlo.” 

He glanced over his shoulder. “Hm?”

Kahli hesitated. “Should I be worried?” When Arlo didn’t answer right away, she turned around and met his gaze.

“No,” he said simply. “Ursula and her team know what they’re doing.”

He didn’t sound very convincing to her, but she didn’t push it further. And it seemed he read her doubt on her face.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

Arlo smiled. “Good.” He moved to her and kissed her. “Do what she asks, and that’s it. Alright?”


	45. Chapter 45

Within the week, Kahli had created and assembled the ramp in the Collapsed Wasteland. She found Ursula in the Town Hall with Mayor Gale, their conversation cut short when Kahli entered.

“Should I come back?” Kahli asked, hesitant.

“Nonsense,” Ursula said, dismissing the mayor. “Have you finished the route?”

“Yup.”

“Excellent. Higgins has, too. I’ll have someone check them out right away. In the meantime, we have an issue with the ruins at the tree farm. We've been diving that ruin for the first key this entire time, blasting away at some of the doors and finding shortcuts through other passages. But the core area is protected by an impenetrable blast gate. I need you to take a look and come up with a solution. Ten is guarding the entrance to prevent the knight from getting in; he'll guide you inside. I'd suggest you equip yourself, it's still very dangerous there.”

“Will do,” Kahli said.

Ursula turned to Gale, nodded to him, then left the building.

Gale sighed. “Thank you for helping with the routes,” he said. I was planning to build them for the city soon anyway, so this is working out.” He hesitated. “How are things with them? They're a little bit rough around the edges if you ask me. And the Captain doesn't tell me much.”

Kahli scoffed. “She’s very bossy,” she said.

Gale smiled. “Oh, I know! I tried to get more information about her through Atara since I haven't heard of her before, but the only reply I got was that she's one of their top soldiers.”

Kahli frowned. “What about Mali?” she asked. “When is she coming back?”

“I haven’t heard from Mali yet,” Gale said slowly. “And that worries me. This whole situation with getting this All Source computer to fight against Duvos doesn't sit too well with me. This isn't what the Free Cities is about. We'll fight for what is ours, but is reviving a powerful ancient machine really the way to go about it?”

“Did you express your concerns with the Alliance Council?” Kahli asked.

“I did. But since we signed up with the Alliance Charter, we have to go with what the majority decided. Unless we want to go independent.” He laughed nervously. “But don't worry, I'm not planning that. Anyway, I guess I should let you get to work for Ursula.”

Kahli nodded and left the Town Hall. She made her way back to her workshop to gather her tools and sword, then made her way to the tree farm, navigating through the forest to the ruins at the far end. As Mali promised, Ten was there waiting for her, and he was tapping his foot impatiently. 

“Finally,” he said. “I’ve been waiting. Let’s go.”

He turned and headed inside before Kahi could respond. She rolled her eyes, then followed him inside.

“Ursula said you could take care of yourself.”

It wasn’t a question. He expected her to be able to keep up. And he wasn’t going to help her if she needed it.

“Yeah,” she said simply, though she didn’t feel very confident in herself. Not after they all got their asses handed to them by the rogue knight. But she wasn’t going to make her concerns known to him or any of Ursula’s men. Nor Ursula herself. Someone told her she could hold her own, and that was all Ursula needed to know.

“See this? We blasted through here,” Ten said, pointing to the door on their immediate right, and he stepped through.

Kahli followed him through and further into the ruins. There were several AIs lurking around, but Ten and Kahli took them out easily as they pressed on. They eventually reached another door.

“We can’t go here,” he said. “It won’t open. But we found another passage a little ways that way.”

Ten led the way to the passage he spoke of and Kahli followed close behind. They walked on in silence until they finally reached the door that Ursual spoke of.

“We’re here,” Ten said. “This gate won’t open at all. We used all the blast packs we could carry, and still, nada.” He pointed to another door. “That door leads to the power room over there. At least, that’s what we think it is, anyway. Maybe if you get this puppy powered up, we can get in?”

“Most likely,” Kahli said with a nod. “Let me see what I can do.”

She moved into the adjoining room. Just as Ten suspected, it led into a power room. Generators lined the walls, and she noticed a broken transformer among them.

“Those machines seem to be generators, and it seems like they're still in working order,” Kahli said.

“What 'bout this gadget here?” Ten asked, pointing to the broken transformer. “It looks bonked.”

Kahli nodded. “I think it's a transformer. I'm going to take it and have Petra take a look.”

Ten sighed. “Alright,” he said. “Fine. But we need it fixed quickly.”

Kahli picked up the transformer, then the two of them exited the ruins. Ten stayed put to continue to guard it, and Kahli made her way back into town and to the Research Center. Inside, she approached Petra with the broken transformer.

“Now, is this a gift for me?” Petra laughed. “Just kidding. What's up? Find All Source yet?”

“I found this at one of the locations,” Kahli explained. “It's preventing us from getting to the key. I think it's a broken transformer.”

“You sure? It looks so small for a generator transformer.” Petra peered at it for a moment, then shrugged. “Alright, I never say no to relics. I'll take a look and get back to you.”

*****

Kahli found Petra at the Round Table the following morning, to her surprise. She had a cup of coffee in front of her, but judging my Sonia’s expression, Petra was several cups in, and she could still barely keep her eyes open. She jumped slightly when Kahli sat next to her.

“I pulled an all-nighter over this transformer,” Petra started. “Since some bossy lady was breathing down my back.” She sneered, then sighed. “You were right, it’s a transformer, and it’s broken. The Director and I tried to see if we could fix it, but the design inside is so intricate, we didn’t even know where to start. The ancients really were amazing.” She shrugged. “So, I had to come up with a design from scratch. It’s not as small or as elegant as the original, but it’s the same specs and it should get the job done.” She handed Kahli some poorly drawn sketches.

“I really appreciate this,” Kahli said. She offered Petra an apologetic smile. “And I’m really sorry about Ursula.”

Petra snorted. “Yeah, what the hell is up with her? She’s really in a hurry to find this thing.” She finished her coffee, then stood. “Anyway. I’m going to go get some sleep.”

Kahli smiled. “Sleep tight.” She watched Petra leave, then turned to Sonia.

“Petra drank all the coffee,” Sonia said.

“Well, she needed it more than I did.”

“No one seems to like this Ursula woman,” Sonia commented. “They all complain about her.”

“She’s… difficult.”

Sonia laughed. “That sounds like you’re putting it lightly.”

Kahli shrugged. “Well, once she gets what she wants, she’ll be gone.” She stood and sighed. “Which means I have a transformer to build.”

“Good luck.”

Kahli returned to her workshop and set to work on the transformer using the sketches and specs that Petra gave her. She spent the rest of the day on the project, and the next morning, she returned to the ruins, finding Ten outside.

“Got that whatchamacall it thing done?” he asked.

Kahli stared at him with a look of annoyance. “The transformer?” She raised a brow and had to bite her tongue. “Yeah, it’s done.”

“Good. Let’s get it all set up, then.”

They made their way back into the ruin, following the same path as the day before until they reached the power generator room. Kahli placed the new transformer where the broken one had been, connecting it all together. The generators activated, humming to life.

“Nice,” Ten said.

Kahli activated the switch, and the door opened.

“Well, let’s keep moving, then,” Ten said.

Kahli followed him through the ruins once more, taking out the stray AIs that they came across until they reached the control room. A large AI seemed to guard the room, much like the one that Kahli had run into with Mali, and it activated as soon as it noticed their presence.

Fighting with Ten wasn’t as much of a team effort as it had been with Mali, and Ten seemed to disregard her presence all together, determined only to destroy the AI so they could finish their mission. In fact, Kahli opted to stay out of his way as much as possible, letting him destroy the AI himself. When it was done, Kahli could safely activate the switch.

“That’s one down,” Ten exclaimed. “Two more to go. I need to go tell the boss.”

“You’re welcome,” Kahli muttered as he strode out of the room. She followed a few paces behind until they exited the ruins, then made their way back into town where they reported to Ursula.

“Good work,” Ursula said, though her expression remained hard. “Now we only have two more keys to worry about. The plan is to head for the northwestern location next. I'll have my men do some exploration first, but I want you on the mission team. We might run into more transformers that only you can fix. I’ll summon you when the time comes.”

Light, was this woman pretentious. Still, Kahli bit her tongue and nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Anything I can do to help.”

“Good,” Ursula said. “That’s what I like to hear.” She nodded to Kahli, as if dismissing her, and Kahli left them alone, returning home where she found Arlo in the barn, tending to the horses.

Kahli sighed dramatically and threw herself down on the hay bales that waited to be distributed.

“Rough day at the office?” Arlo commented with a grin.

“She’s the fucking worse,” Kahli muttered. She pushed herself upright, sitting on the bales. “She’s so damn pretentious.” 

Arlo frowned. He turned to Spacer and continued to brush him.

“She said she will summon me when she needs me.” Kahli rolled her eyes and made a sound of disgust. “Summon me. Like I’m her fucking servent or something. Who says that?” She sighed. “Whatever. Guess I’m on this team of yours, now. She said she wants to go to the Somber Marsh next.”

“What for?”

“In case there are more transformers that need to be fixed or something. I think she’s got Higgins coming, too.”

“Fabulous,” Arlo muttered.

“You didn’t know?”

“No. She doesn’t tell me anything anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I called her out for dragging you and Higgins into this,” he said. “If the rogue knight is someone here, it doesn’t matter how quiet we keep things; he can follow us. He’s clearly capable of keeping out of sight. He could ambush us at any moment. Whatever she needs you to fix, it can be done after we search the ruins.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t exactly have that kind of patience.”

“That’s the problem,” Arlo said. “She’s going to get everyone killed.”

Kahli frowned. “Doesn’t really seem like she cares who gets hurt, as long as she gets All Source.”

“That’s what concerns me,” Arlo said. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Kahli bit her lip and met his gaze. “There’s nothing you can do about it?”

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Maybe. I talked to the mayor. He’ll support whatever we decide to do.”

“At least he’s on our side,” Kahli said. “Do you have a plan?”

He offered her a crooked smile. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Keep doing what she asks you. I’ll take care of everything else.”


	46. Chapter 46

The next day, Ursula was ready to explore the ruins in the Somber Marsh for the next key. Kahli and Arlo met with Ursula, Ten, Sam, and Higgins outside of the ruins.

“Gather up, everyone,” Ursula instructed them. “There are two separate routes into this ruin. We’re not sure which one leads to the key, so we’ll split into two teams. Kahli and Arlo, you’re with me. We’ll take the left route. Ten, Sam, and Higgins will take the route to the right.”

Kahli and Arlo followed Ursula into the ruins, taking the path to the left. They ran into a few AIs while they traveled, and they took them out quickly and easily before moving deeper into the ruins.

“You know,” Arlo said conversationally. “I have a friend in the Council Guards. Maybe you heard of him? Stanza.”

“I don’t do small talk,” Ursula said simply.

“Why would you?” Kahli muttered under her breath.

They continued on until they reached a broken door.

“Looks like the gate needs to be repaired,” Ursula said. She turned to Kahli. “Can you get us across?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Kahli said, more loudly than she intended to. She felt Ursula’s hard gaze on her as she moved to the door and took out her tools. Within a few minutes, the wires were reconnected, and they were able to move forward once more.

“Where did you train, Captain?” Arlo asked. “You have a peculiar fighting style.”

“Lucien,” Ursula said simply.

“You’re from Lucien? I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“What did I say?” Ursula growled at him.

“Sure, sure. Small talk.”

They navigated deeper still until, taking on a few more sentry AIs before they finally reached the end where they found the second key. Once they stepped into the room, however, a computerized voice activated.

“Intruders detected. Voice identification required.”

“Oh, shit,” Kahli muttered.

“Voice identification failed. Intruder alert. Intruder alert.”

“Excellent,” Arlo said.

At that moment, an AI rose from a hidden platform beneath the floor in the center of the room. It had five mechanical-like petals that opened up, revealing two mechanical tentacle shapes. The tentacles whipped toward them, and they dodged out of the way, narrowly missing its attack.

“Stay,” Arlo growled to Kahli, and she obeyed, letting Ursula and Arlo handle the AI. Though it was much larger than the other AIs they had encountered up to that point, it had the disadvantage of being almost literally routed to the ground, its movements restricted. Still, it was able to follow their movements around quickly, and they had to work together to keep its attention on one of them while the other focused on destroying the hardwear. Whether intentional or not, it seemed Arlo was tasked with distracting it, while Ursula took advantage and climbed the stalk of the AI. She plunged her sword into the control panel, and the AI dropped to the ground. The panel sparked and ignited as Ursula jumped down.

“I can’t believe the nasty machines the ancients came up with,” Arlo muttered. “What kind of society would have tolerated something like this?”

“A society that realized the advantage of having better, stronger machines than their enemies,” Ursula remarked.

At that moment, Sam, Ten, and Higgins ran into the room.

“Are you guys okay?” Sam asked. “We heard a commotion.”

“Shit,” Higgins spat. “They got here first.”

“Chill, grumpy pal,” Ten said. “It ain’t a competition.”

“Maybe not for you.”

“We have the situation under control,” Ursula said. She turned to the computer at the far end of the room and activated it. “And that’s number two. Let’s get out of here.”

The six of them exited the ruins, running into no further complications.

“Good work, everyone,” Ursula said once they stepped outside. “Before we head for the third key, I'm going to have a talk with the Mayor about our plan once the All Source AI is in our possession. I'll keep everyone informed.”

*****

The next morning, Ursula and her team had already scouted the third location. She found Kahli outside, tending to the animals.

“Good morning, Captain,” Kahli said dryly, not looking up from her work.

Ursula cut right to the chase, offering her no greeting. “We’ve already scouted the location of the third key,” she said. “We’ll need your expertise again. There is some excessive combustion-able gas still circulating in that ruin. I’ve already had the Research Center come up with a plan to disperse the gas. I’ll need you to build an exhaust fan to get rid of it.”

Kahli moved to the fence and took the blueprints Ursula offered her.

“I’ll need this right away,” Ursula continued. “Install it at the entrance to the ruin once you’ve finished it.”

“Aye, aye,” Kahli said, saluting her.

Ursula’s gaze narrowed on her slightly before she left.

Kahli sighed and opened the prints, examining the details that Ursula wanted. Unwilling to cross her, Kahli began working on the machine right away. It was fairly simple for her to put together considering some of the other projects she had to work on in the past, and she had it finished by early afternoon. She brought the completed exhaust fan to the northwest location of the Somber Marsh, navigating through the tree farm to get there. As she expected, Ten was there waiting for her, and he watched her as she set to work installing the device. After a few minutes, the fan whirred to life.

Ten whistled. “Look at that thing go,” he said. “Guess I shouldn’t smoke around here, right?” He laughed.

“Hey, why not?” Kahli said.

“Oh, you’re funny, huh?”

“Ah, well, you know.”

“Hmph.” He folded his arms over his chest. “It’ll take a couple of days for the gas to clear out. I’m sure Ursula will let you know when we’re ready.”

“She always does.”

*****

When Kahli returned to town, she found Ursula outside the Town Hall. Ursula’s gaze was hard on her, and she beckoned for Kahli to come to her.

“Perfect timing,” Ursula said. “I must speak with you.”

Kahli swallowed. She seemed sterner than usual, but she couldn’t imagine what had her so upset. She followed her inside where Arlo and Mayor Gale both waited. Kahli looked between them, hesitant. Mayor Gale seemed mildly annoyed, but Arlo seemed to be on the brink of rage, detestation for the Captain in his eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Kahli asked slowly.

“I’m afraid not,” Ursula said. “I’ll put it simply; I do not work with couples.”

Kahli stared blankly at her for a moment. “Me and Arlo? Is this a joke?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?” Ursula sneered. “There is a conflict of interest I will not tolerate.”

“Conflict of…” Kahli shook her head, baffled. “What? In what universe -”

“Kahli is not in the Civil Corps,” Gale reminded Ursula. 

“Regardless,” Ursula said forcefully. “I cannot have them on missions together.”

Mayor Gale tilted his head to the side in slight agreement. “I understand your concern,” he said. “However -”

“I don’t care how you run things here, Mayor,” Ursula snapped. “But I cannot have my missions compromised. I understand they have both acted recklessly in the past.”

“Reckless?” Kahli echoed. “Oh, for the love -”

“I will not have you of all people questioning my decisions.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Arlo sneered.

“Watch yourself, Arlo. You’re on thin ice with me.”

Arlo’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing more.

“Unfortunately, decent builders are limited here. Kahli already knows the job at hand and has been involved since before my arrival. I cannot lose her expertise, as much as I hate to admit it. So, from now on, the two of you will be on separate teams. You will not interact with one another while we’re on a job. Do I make myself clear?”

“You know, I’m just gonna sneak out my window to see him,” Kahli murmured. She winced slightly when she felt Arlo’s angry gaze on her.

Mayor Gale stifled a laugh and cleared his throat. “I’m sure there will be no issues,” he assured Ursula. “Kahli and Arlo are both professionals. Their relationship has never affected their work before.”

Ursula did not seem convinced. She crossed her arms. “I’ll be sure to see to it that it doesn’t,” she said. “That is all. Leave.”

Kahli stared at her, mouth gaping slightly, moving only when Arlo turned and pulled at her wrist, leading her out of the mayor’s office.

“What the actual fuck,” Kahli muttered. “Why do I feel like I’ve been grounded? That was ridiculous!”

“Why did you have to open your mouth?” Arlo hissed.

“Excuse me? I didn’t do anything wrong here!”

“I told you not to give her shit.”

“The vibe in the room was unnecessarily tense,” Kahli said. “That’s kinda what I do! And who cares? She’s a damn bully. I’m sick of her treating everyone like they’re beneath her.”

“We are beneath her,” Arlo said.

“That doesn’t mean she has to treat us like garbage,” Kahli snarled. “Her title doesn’t put her above human decency.”

“Listen to me,” Arlo hissed, then stopped himself. He looked around them quickly, then pulled Kahli across the plaza and towards home.

“I don’t think she’s who she says she is,” he finished.

Kahli stared at him. “What are you saying?”

“No one has heard from Mali,” Arlo said. “And what little word we’ve gotten from the Council has been very vague. I’m afraid Mali may have been intercepted.”

“You don’t think Ursula’s with the Council?”

Arlo hesitated. “No. I don’t.”

“Fuck,” Kahli muttered. “What the fuck does this mean? Who is she?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you tell the mayor?”

Arlo nodded.

“And?”

“There’s not much we can do about it right now,” he said. “Clearly, our messages to the Council are being intercepted and rerouted.”

“So, we’re just supposed to stand by and let her get her hands on All Source?”

“It may be for the best,” Arlo said regretfully. “We don’t know who she is or what she wants with it. As long as we don’t cause any trouble - as long as we act like everything is fine - then hopefully she’ll get it and leave.”

“We can’t let her take it,” Kahli insisted. “It can’t fall into the wrong hands. This is your whole damn job, Arlo.”

“My job is to do what’s in the best interest of Portia,” he hissed. “This is above us. There’s nothing we can do. We’re three Civil Corps officers and only one of us has even seen any real action. The best thing we can do is let her leave Portia quietly.”

“But if our messages are being intercepted, we can’t even do anything to warn the Council. Don’t you think that makes it our responsibility to try to stop her?”

“We don’t stand a chance against her team and the rogue knight,” Arlo said. “If we put up a fight, they’ll kill us and probably everyone else in Portia.”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. Her brow furrowed tightly as she stared at the ground, desperately searching for an answer.

“We’ve looked at every possibility,” Arlo said softly. “This is the best thing we can do right now.”

Kahli nodded slowly. She didn’t like it, but maybe he was right.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” Arlo muttered.

“Yeah, yeah, alright.” Kahli met his gaze. “I’m terrified.”

Arlo pulled her into him and kissed her head. “Don’t worry about it, alright?” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do.”

Kahli sighs. “Yeah. That’s what worries me.”

*****

When the gas finally cleared, Kahli, Arlo, and Remington met Ursula, Ten, and Ryder outside of the third ruin.

“This is the last key location listed by the Locator Computer,” Ursula explained. “We don't know what's going to happen when we set the key. Maybe the rogue knight will even show up. I'm going to head into the ruin with Remington and Kahli. Arlo, you'll lead the rest and be on alert out here. Understood?”

Arlo was clearly unhappy with her plan, but he didn’t argue with her.

“There is still some residue gas in the ruin,” she continued. “We’ll need to wear masks.” She handed the gas masks to them.

Kahli glanced at Arlo, meeting his gaze briefly before she put the mask on and followed Ursula into the ruin.

Inside, they ran into several AI sentinels and other various AIs. Kahli stayed clear as much as possible, letting Ursula and Remington take them out on their own and clearing their way forward. They moved deep into the ruins, the corridors turning this way and that, until they finally stopped at a broken door.

“Looks like the circuits are burnt,” Kahli said. She examined the panel, then replaced a few wires, connecting them all together. The door opened, and they continued onward.

“So, Cap,” Remington started. “I heard you're from the Lucien area? I was there as well. In the Lucien Civil Corps.”

Kahli glanced at Remington and he met her gaze briefly.

“Is that so?” Ursula said in a disinterested tone.

“Yeah, yeah” he continued. “When were you there? Maybe we've got some common pals.”

“I'm sure we don't,” she replied simply.

Remington’s brows furrowed, but he said nothing more.

They moved deeper into the ruin until they reached another door with a control panel. It opened, and they moved down into the basement level where they eventually reached a large, open room with a bridge across. Half of it, however, was lifted up. The control panel beside it activated the bridge once Kahli fixed it, lowering it and allowing them to cross.

They moved deeper still, fighting several more AIs, until they finally reached the room with the third key. Like with the second key, the alarm system recognized them as intruders and released an AI in the center of the room.

Ursula and Remington hurried to the center of the room to take out the machine. Much like last time, Ursula allowed Remington to act as a distraction while she moved behind the AI, though this time, the AI was not secured to the floor and could turn and relocate more quickly, keeping both Ursula and Remington in its sights. As a result, this battle took longer than the last, and Kahli made sure to stay clear and unnoticed by the AI until they finally defeated it.

“Is this what you guys went through for the last two keys?” Remington said. “What a workout!”

Ursula moved to the computer at the far end without a word and activated it. She turned to them, and they followed out of the ruins to where the others waited. Outside, they watched as the round building behind the ruins began to rotate, then rise slightly, revealing a door.

“Our prize awaits,” Ursula said. She turned to Arlo. “Take my men and set up a perimeter around the place, pronto. I do not want our rogue knight to get in or out of that place. In the meantime, I’m going to contact HQ and see what they want us to do next. Sit tight and await my orders.”


	47. Chapter 47

The remaining few weeks of winter went on quietly for most of the people in Portia, with the only notable event being Aadit’s sudden and unexplained disappearance. It seemed he quite literally left in the middle of the night without a word, leaving Dawa alone to manage the tree farm. Gossip spread quickly as people speculated, but no one really knew why he left, not even Dawa.

For Kahli, however, that wasn’t the only surprising turn of events, and it was quickly overshadowed by her own personal troubles. It started first as an upset stomach, which quickly and inexplicably turned to nausea and soon followed with her doubling over in the bathroom, vomiting into the toilet. In the mornings, she would lay on the cold, tiled floor and close her eyes, praying for death to claim her quickly. But typically, after about an hour, she would be on her feet again, as if nothing had ever happened.

She couldn’t explain the sudden nausea spells, and she never bothered to mention it to Arlo for fear of worrying him - as if he didn’t have enough to worry about. Still, it lingered, happening nearly every day. And just when she started to worry, her questions were suddenly answered as the realization hit her. How long had it been since her last period?

Her heart nearly dropped into her stomach as she tried to count the days that she had lost track of. The nausea crept back, though this time, for a different reason. Or the same. Who could really be sure? But she felt uneasy. And she needed to be sure.

She quickly made her way to the clinic through a particularly snowy and blustery day, though each step felt endless. And all she could do was imagine how their future would change. Kahli and Arlo and a baby. A cute, bouncy little baby. She had never thought much about it before. Maybe it was because she never thought of it as a possibility. Even with Arlo, the idea seemed impossible. They were both so busy, and with the way things had been over the last couple months, it didn’t even seem like a world to bring a baby into.

But a baby. Her baby. Their baby. Suddenly, it was all she wanted.

To her relief, Phyllis was the first to greet her when she stepped into the clinic.

“I can’t imagine what would bring you over here in this mess,” Phyllis commented. She looked her up and down. “Doesn’t seem like you had another mishap.” She met Kahli’s gaze, and it seemed she could read the expression on her face.

“Oh,” Phyllis said, and she smiled. “Oh?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Kahli muttered, suddenly exhausted.

Phyllis nodded. “Well, let’s get some answers first, hm?” She dug through a cabinet and pulled out a pregnancy test, then handed it to Kahli.

She paced anxiously as she waited for the results, and her tone changed. They couldn’t have a baby. Not now. Not when their future seemed so uncertain. It seemed war could erupt at any moment. The rogue knight could strike at any time. And Arlo… what would happen? She couldn’t raise a baby alone. Seconds ticked slowly, but the answer came, and Phyllis peered at it, then met her gaze.

Kahli swallowed. “Well?”

“It’s negative,” Phyllis said.

Her heart dropped for the second time that day. Her brows furrowed, and she frowned. “Oh.”

“You’re disappointed,” Phyllis said.

“Um.” Kahli hesitated. “Oh. Yeah. I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I dunno,” she said with a shrug. “We’ve never really talked about it. I was worried. But the more I thought about it… I guess it was stupid for me to get excited, right?”

“You can be excited.” Phyllis grinned. “I may have lied. It’s positive.”

Kahli stared at her. “What? Are you serious?”

Phyllis laughed. “Yeah. You’re pregnant.”

Kahli continued to stare at her, mouth gaping slightly. “What?”

“Well, you didn’t know how you felt,” she said. “So, I figured if I told you it was negative, you would either be relieved or disappointed.”

“You,” she started, but she grinned. “That was… what! What if I was upset?”

“But you’re not!”

“I know that!” Still, she couldn’t be angry with her. She was pregnant. They were going to have a baby. “Light,” she muttered. “We’re having a baby.”

Phyllis grinned. “You’re having a baby!”

*****

Back at home, Kahli spent the rest of the day digging through the boxes she had in storage. At first, she wasn’t quite sure what she had hoped to find. Maybe some old baby clothes she had worn, or better yet, a handbook on parenting. But this was highly unlikely, especially since her father didn’t even care enough to stick around. Sure, he could diagram everything he had ever built and leave that to her so she could get a jumpstart on her apparent career as a builder, but Parenting 101? Of course he wouldn’t have taken time to write that for her. It should have been easy enough. Step One: don’t abandon your child.

But as she dug through, she found dusty, old photo albums and loose pictures, faded from color over the years. Pictures of her mother and father when they were dating. Pictures of their wedding. Pictures of Kahli as a baby, baby Kahli and her mother, and even the three of them together.

In the span of an hour, Kahli watched herself grow. She saw the happiness in their eyes when they were a family. Then it all suddenly disappeared. There were no more pictures of them all together. All that remained were a handful of images of Kahli back in Barnarock, clearly living with her aunt. Her first day of high school, her graduation, and a few in between. And in all of them, Kahli stood alone.

Her heart broke for the young girl in the pictures, and her resentment for her father returned. It had been a long time since she even thought about him, and she was content to never think about him again. He wasn’t worth a moment of her time. Still, she felt unease grow in the pit of her stomach. What kind of life would her child have? Would she or Arlo be around? And worse… where would this child go if neither of them were around? Kahli virtually had no family in Portia. Would someone else step up to take care of their child?

There were a lot of unanswered questions, and she could feel her anxiety grow. But she sucked in a breath to steady herself. She reminded herself that she was not alone. She had Arlo. And even if he didn’t have the answers, she knew it didn’t matter, as long as he was there with her.

She had to tell him sooner rather than later. She wasn’t sure if she would do it right away. But when she found an old pair of baby shoes that had been carefully wrapped and tucked away in one of the boxes, she knew she would tell him as soon as she could.

She carefully repacked the boxes, leaving the baby shoes on the floor beside her, then slid the boxes back into their corner of the attic. She took the shoes, then hurried back downstairs to wait.

When Arlo did return home, Kahli was seated at the table. In front of her was a hot cup of tea and the little baby shoes she had found. At first, it seemed Arlo overlooked the shoes completely, offering her a quick and tired greeting. But then he did a double take, and his gaze moved from the shoes to her.

“What’s that?” he asked her.

“I found them,” Kahli said. “I was digging through some old boxes in the attic. I guess they were mine.”

Arlo smiled. “Feeling nostalgic?”

Kahli shrugged. “I dunno, maybe.”

“What are you going to do with them?”

Kahli hesitated. She picked up the shoes and looked them over. “They might not be the right color,” she started, then held the shoes up against her stomach. “But it’s kinda weird, right? That something just grows here?”

Arlo stared blankly at her for a moment. “What? Yeah. I guess.”

Kahli smiled and put the shoes back on the table. “Well,” she started softly. “It is. Little Baby Arlo, maybe. Or a little me.” She met his gaze. “For everyone’s sanity, I hope it’s not a mini Kahli.”

“Are you… serious?”

“Unless Phyllis lied to me.” Kahli shrugged. “Which is very likely, because apparently she likes to do that.”

“You’re… pregnant?”

“It’s probably not yours.”

Arlo stared at her for a moment more, then grinned. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “I hope it’s not like you. One jokester in the family is more than enough.”

Kahli grinned at him. “So, this is happening?”

Arlo pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. His forehead pressed against hers. “We’re having a baby.”

There was no question in his tone, no doubt, and Kahli couldn’t keep herself from smiling as she met his gaze. “We’re having a baby.”


	48. Chapter 48

Winter warmed quickly into spring, and with it ended their brief moment of peace. Ursula had received word from the Alliance Council to move forward in their plan to retrieve All Source, and she summoned everyone to meet at the tower that was revealed when they found the third and final key.

Kahli, Arlo, Remington, and Higgins met Ursula, Ryder, and Ten, waiting only on Sam to show. For the first time since her arrival, Ursula seemed to show some kind of emotion, though Kahli couldn’t quite decipher if she was anxious or eager to find All Source once and for all. However, if Arlo’s suspicions were correct, she was certain Ursula would be eager to finally get her hands on it. Whatever happened after that, however, was anyone’s guess.

“Everyone just relax,” Ursula said, clearly impatient with how long Sam was taking to get there. “If the rogue knight shows up, we have overwhelming numbers.”

When Sam finally did show up, she ignored Ursula’s annoyed greeting, her brows knit together fiercely. She met Arlo’s gaze.

“We need to talk,” she said simply, and Arlo followed her until they were out of earshot.

Kahli watched them carefully as they spoke, and Arlo’s brows furrowed, matching Sam’s fierce expression. After a moment, he nodded, and they returned to the group.

“Please,” Ursula said. “Whenever you’re ready. Don’t let me hold you up.”

“Sorry, Captain,” Arlo started. “It seems there’s been a change of plans.”

“Excuse me?” Ursula narrowed her gaze on Arlo.

“We just received a telegram from Mali,” Sam said. “Her plane was shot down by the Flying Shark sky pirates and she just got back to Atara. They had a mole there working the telegraphs.”

Ursula’s expression remained unchanged.

“Ms. Everglade, is it?” Arlo said. “Of the Sky Shark Pirates? You and your men are under arrest. Any resistance will be met with force.”

“Boss, I told you we should've just ended that pig,” Ten hissed.

“Looks like the gig's up,” Ryder said with a wicked grin.

“This could have ended easily for all of you,” Ursula said. She glanced over her shoulder at Ryder and Ten, her voice even when she spoke. “Kill them.”

Ryder and Ten lunged forward first, and Everglade followed quickly behind them, drawing her sword. Arlo, Sam, and Remington met them with their blades drawn, and Higgins yelped and jumped behind Kahli, pulling her backwards, seemingly both using her as a shield and - if she dared to believe it - pulling her out of harm's way.

“Oh, they’re fuckin’ serious,” Higgins said. “They’re really gonna kill us.”

“For fuck’s sake, man,” Kahli hissed, pulling out of his grip. “Do you think I’m going to save your dumbass?”

Higgins yelped again and pulled Kahli forward, causing her to stumble out of the way of Ten’s attack. She spun on her heels quickly, drawing her sword just as Ten’s blade came down against hers. She pushed back forcefully, and he took a step back only to regain his balance before coming after her once more. He was quick and persistent, and Kahli didn’t dare a moment to take her eyes off of him, not even to glance to see if the others were okay.

She moved to the offensive, blocking Ten’s blows and quickly dislodging his blade and striking as soon as he was open, but still, he leapt backwards and out of her way, her blade narrowly missing him. The near miss, however, caused her to hesitate suddenly as the realization crashed down around her. She was fighting for her life, and not just against a killer robot, but a human being. A human who wanted her dead, sure, but did it mean she could kill if it came down to it? To save herself? She wasn’t a fighter. She wasn’t trained for this. She was a damn builder. And pregnant, too.

Ten took advantage of her hesitation, and he leapt forward, swinging his blade at her. Kahli tried to block the blow quickly, but the force knocked her blade out of her hand and she stumbled backwards.

But before Ten could strike again, Arlo threw himself against him, knocking them both to the ground. Higgins yelped, and Kahli quickly moved to grab her sword. She looked up, then, and noticed a masked figure standing on the edge of the tower; the rogue knight.

“Arlo!” she warned.

The rogue knight leapt from his position on the tower and landed between them and the Sky Sharks. He swung his blade as he landed, and an invisible shock wave shot forth, knocking the five of them backwards forcefully and onto the ground. The rogue knight straightened and regarded the pirates over his shoulder.

“My dear Everglade,” he started. “And you said you didn’t need any of my help.”

Everglade smiled wickedly. “Are you going to help, then? Or waste my time?”

The rogue knight stepped forward as they started to come to and he pulled Kahli up, pressing his blade against her neck.

It took Kahli a moment before she realized what had happened, and she froze when she felt the cold steel of his blade. Her gaze darted around until she found Arlo, now on his feet, his face pale.

“Drop your weapons,” the knight hissed.

Arlo moved slowly first, then the others followed, placing their swords on the ground at their feet.

“Tie them up,” Everglade barked at Ten.

“But -”

“I’m not done with them,” she interrupted him. “We’re going forward to get All Source. I will finish them myself when I get back.”

The rogue knight shoved Kahli forward and she fell to her knees with a grunt. Her arms were pulled back forcefully, and she felt the rough fibers of rope being wrapped around her wrists and tied tightly. The knight pulled her up, then pushed her forward again, and she fell back onto her knees where the others sat, their wrists also tied together.

They watched as Everglade, the knight, and Ryder turned their backs to them and made their way into the ruin to claim All Source.

“You just sit tight, nice and easy,” Ten said to them. “Once we get what we want, we'll be on our way and no one gets hurt.”

Kahli pressed herself closer to Arlo, only realizing then that she was shaking. She pressed her lips together and tried to focus, but her mind raced wildly.

“Stay calm,” Arlo muttered. His brows furrowed as he frantically tried to come up with a plan.

“If I break my shoulder, I can break free,” Higgins whispered.

“Are you nuts?” Remington hissed.

“I read it in a book,” he said, as if it were a logical explanation. “I'm going to try it. I’m sure as shit not gonna lose to some pirates.”

But footsteps brought them out of their quiet discussion, causing Higgins to hesitate. To their surprise, Tuss came into view, and Ten quickly drew his sword, stepping towards Tuss.

“Get outta here,” Ten hissed. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“I’m afraid it does,” Tuss said. “My name’s Agent T. I’m part of the Portia’s Debt Collection Agency. I’m afraid you are trespassing on this marsh.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Kahli muttered to herself. For a moment, she wanted to laugh.

“You best be on your way,” Ten said through his teeth. “Or else I’ll -”

But he was unable to finish his sentence as Huss came up behind him, hitting him hard on the back of the head with the hilt of Kahli’s sword. Ten’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he dropped to the ground, momentarily unconscious. 

“Oh, fuck,” Sam said.

Huss and Tuss hurried over to them, releasing them from their ties and helping them to their feet. Once freed, Arlo quickly looked Kahli over, then pulled her into his arms.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Arlo growled at them.

“We were just fishing around and we saw everything,” Tuss explained.

“Yeah, everything,” Huss confirmed with a nod.

“Guess we were lucky you guys were around,” Arlo said. He turned to Sam and Remington. “We need to tie him up.”

Ten was just starting to come to when Remington tied him up, and he muttered obscenities under his breath as he glared at Arlo.

“Should have killed you when I had the chance,” Ten said. “Should have killed you all.”

Arlo hesitated slightly, but did not respond. “We need to stop them from getting All Source,” he said.

“Can we?” Remington said, hesitant. “We don’t exactly stand a chance against that knight.”

Ten snickered. “He’ll kill you,” he said. “I only wish I could have been the one to do it.”

Arlo pressed his lips together. “We have to try,” he said. 

“I’d offer to help,” Higgins said. “But I’m a builder, not a fighter like you guys.”

“Go warn the mayor,” Arlo instructed him. “Take Kahli with you.”

Ten scoffed. “No army will come to help you.”

Arlo moved toward the ruins, but Kahli hurried to catch up with him.

“Wait a sec,” she started, her earlier fears being quickly replaced by adrenaline, giving her more confidence than she had. “I’m going with you.”

“Are you crazy?” Arlo hissed.

“Look,” Kahli started. “You don’t know what’s in there. You might need my help. I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.”

“If we’re voting,” Sam said. “I vote for Kahli. She can at least hold her own.”

“Absolutely not.”

“We might need her,” Sam reminded him. “There’s a good chance that AI is locked up tight. If we want to keep it out of the wrong hands, we need to get to it before they do.”

“Then we’ll figure it out ourselves,” Arlo insisted.

“You’re willing to take the risk that they get All Source first? We need Kahli’s help. Why are you being so damn stubborn about this?”

Kahli met Arlo’s gaze. “It’ll be fine,” she said in an attempt to reassure him. “I’ll stay out of the way.” She crossed her heart with her finger.

Arlo shook his head, but unwilling to waste any more time arguing about it, he reluctantly gave in. “Fine,” he said. He nodded to Higgins, who quickly headed towards town to warn the Mayor, then turned to Huss and Tuss. “Can you keep an eye on him? Whatever you do, do not let him get away.”

Huss and Tuss nodded and saluted him, and without another word, the four of them hurried toward the ruin, following after Everglade, Ryder, and the knight.


	49. Chapter 49

They quickly moved inside the ruins, immediately running into a locked door.

“It won't open,” Remington said, trying the door. “They must have locked it somehow.”

“What about this?” Sam pointed to a side door, but the controls were jammed.

“See?” Kahli said, stepping around them. “Guess I’m good for something.” She quickly set to work fixing the panel, and the door slid open, revealing an upward path. They hurried forward, navigating the tunnels until they dropped down to meet back up with the main corridors. They came across several AIs as they moved deeper into the ruins, which the Civil Corps took out easily, while Kahli made sure to hang back out of their way. They soon came to an elevator which brought them down and opened back up to reveal a path to their left, and a path to their right.

“We're gonna have to split up,” Remington said. “Kahli and I will go right.”

“Alright,” Arlo said, not arguing with him. “Sam and I will go down the other way.” He met Kahli’s gaze. “Be careful. If you can't handle it, wait for us or retreat.”

Kahli nodded, and they split into two groups. Kahli quickly followed Remington down the corridor which led them just a short way until they reached an open room where Everglade stood in the center on a platform. She turned to them when they entered and smiled.

“I like you guys,” she said. “But I can't let you pass. Just part of the job.”

“I don't see your knight friend around,” Remington said. “You sure you wanna take us on?”

Everglade laughed. “And where’s the rest of your team?” she said. “Seems I got the easy part. The officer with a bad knee and the builder.” She drew her sword, then lunged toward them.

Remington quickly pushed Kahli out of the way, stepping forward and raising his sword. Their blades clashed as he blocked her blow, then he pushed back to dislodge her.

Kahli took advantage of the moment while she was preoccupied and drew her own blade, then hurried to flank her. Everglade, however, was quicker, and she turned on her heels and brought her sword down against Kahli’s, swinging violently and pushing Kahli back. Without hesitation, she turned to Remington to block his blow, then stepped back as Kahli lunged at her once more.

Everglade was far quicker than Kahli expected, easily fending each of them off. She moved swiftly, and neither Kahli nor Remington could get past her defenses, no matter how quickly they moved around her.

Still, they did have a slight advantage. It was the two of them against her, and all she could manage to do was keep up her defenses, unable to work in a strike of her own. Together, Kahli and Remington pushed in closer around her, forcing her to continue to step back, edging ever closer to the edge of the platform. Soon, they had her right where they wanted her, with nowhere else to go. She looked over her shoulder as the floor dropped away behind her and she lowered her blade.

“It's your defeat, pirate,” Remington said. “By my authority as a Civil Corps officer, you're hereby placed under arrest!”

Everglade stepped back until she was on the edge of the platform. A smile crept onto her face as she turned to meet his gaze. “I don't think so.” She leaned back, then dropped from the platform.

Kahli and Remington ran to the edge just in time to see her glider activate and she landed safely on the ground. She glanced briefly over her shoulder at them, grinning, then ran down the corridor.

“She's getting away,” Kahli hissed.

“Don't worry about her, we've got to move forward.”

Kahli followed Remington forward across the platform and to the other side. They encountered several more AIs, and Kahli quickly assisted Remington in taking them out. They reached a control panel that opened a large door, then moved across the catwalk and down a flight of stairs. They finally reached a large, open room where several AIs lined the walls. They found Arlo and Sam, and standing before what Kahli could only guess was the All Source AI, was the rogue knight. 

“Ah,” the knight started, as if expecting them. “You're all here, good, good. But I’m afraid you’re too late; All Source is under my control, now. Let me give you a demonstration of its power.”

Arlo and Remington ran forward to stop him, but before they could get more than several paces, they disappeared in a beam of blue light. Several AIs started to move forward toward Kahli and Sam, but one by one, they, too, disappeared suddenly. The blue light surrounded the knight and All Source for a moment, and in a snap, they were gone. Kahli and Sam glanced at one another, and in the blink of an eye, Sam had disappeared.

Before Kahli could even process what was happening, she felt as if her soul was suddenly and violently being ripped right out of her body. The sensation caused her stomach to knot and twist sickeningly, but just as soon as it happened, it ended, and Kahli found herself in Peach Plaza beside Sam.

“What the fuck just happened?” Kahli asked, panic rising in her chest. “Where’s Arlo and Rem?” She looked around quickly, but AIs had infiltrated the town, and several Portians had already stepped in to try to fend them off.

“The AIs,” Sam started. “They’re everywhere! The knight must have done that! We need to stop them!”

Kahli was too overwhelmed to do anything more but follow Sam. She fought beside her, defeating the AIs that wreaked havoc in the plaza and made their way through the town as quickly as they could. Just before they reached the Central Plaza, they found Arlo and Remington, and Kahli ran into Arlo’s arms. But their brief reunion was cut short as the corrupted All Source AI came into view, the rogue knight atop it, and they stood before Merlin in the plaza.

“Perhaps now you fully grasp the potential of this machine,” the knight said.

“That doesn’t concern me,” Merlin hissed.

“No?” the knight said. “Then let me show you what else it’s capable of.”

All Source whirred to life and two legs extended from it.

“You have no right to use this being like that,” Merlin shouted.

The rogue knight laughed, and All Source lifted its leg to stomp down on Merlin. Remington dove toward her, pushing her out of the way as the machine crashed down against the road, causing the cobblestone to crumble and shatter upon impact.

Arlo, Kahli, and Sam ran forward to assist Remington, slashing at the AI’s legs in a desperate attempt to destroy it. They dodged it’s mechanical legs as it stomped and kicked at them as if they were nothing more than pesky rodents. Their efforts, however, seemed fruitless, and their constant dodging only made them tire quickly. 

“I’ve had enough fun,” the knight finally said, growing bored with their battle. “All Source, teleport.”

“Insufficient energy level,” the AI said in a mechanical voice.

The knight stared down at the AI, seemingly in disbelief. When he heard the sound of someone scurrying down the leg, he turned to see Toby drop to the ground and sprint toward the school. All Source swung a leg at the child, and Toby ducked just in time, narrowly missing the attack. He scrambled back to his feet and ran into the school building.

Under the knight’s command, All Source swung a leg at the building, coming in contact with the roof. The roof crumbled under the attack and debris fell inside as it started to collapse. Inside, the children in hiding began to scream in terror.

Kahli and the others ran toward the building as All Source moved to attack again, but they could not reach the AI in time to defend the school. When it swung its leg around, however, it was stopped by a sudden, strong, invisible force. Ack stood before the building, his grip on All Source, and he forced the AI’s leg away, causing it to stumble backwards.

“Smack me silly and call me a robot,” Ack exclaimed. “That's an All Source unit!”

“You’re not under its control like the others?” Kahli asked.

“Bomb diggity! Now why should I be? That control chip was on my leg, which I don't have anymore!”

“Is that the same for the All Source unit?” Arlo asked.

“Suppose so!”

They turned their attention back to All Source, but with the rogue knight’s command, the AI quickly shortened its legs. The rogue knight turned his attention onto them once more, and All Source resumed its attack, stomping its legs forcefully and causing the ground to tremble. It came after them, kicking and stomping, and they dodged out of the way before resuming their own attacks against the AI, slashing desperately at its legs, the only part of the machine they could make contact with. The four of them dodged and attacked, and while any one else would have been at a severe disadvantage, tiring quickly as they continuously fended off their attacks, the AI had no such disadvantage. It did not falter or hesitate when a blow was struck against it; it simply pressed on, sweeping its legs to dislodge its attackers like pesky flies.

But they continued on, and despite its strength, the legs of the AI started to show the wear from their continued attacks. The metal chipped and wore in places, exposing its wiring, and before long, the AI had sustained enough damage to render its legs useless.

All Source stumbled forward. It’s screen flickered, then went white, and it dropped forward, falling onto the ground. The rogue knight jumped off, landing on his feet in front of the defeated AI, and he swung his sword out before him.

“You've lost,” Arlo hissed. “Give it up!”

“Your funeral,” the rogue knight said simply, and he lunged toward them, swinging his blade violently.

He was far stronger than they were, and like Everglade, he moved in swift, quick motions, blocking blow after blow, despite how quickly they lunged at him. And despite his rapid movements, he did not falter or tire. His defense was far stronger than their offense, and every time he blocked one of their attacks, he was able to counter just as quickly, leaving them to do nothing more than desperately dodge his attacks.

The Civil Corps officers were fading quickly. They had been working - fighting - nonstop since they arrived at the final ruin earlier that morning. They were at a severe disadvantage, and it seemed they could do nothing more than watch themselves lose the battle with the rogue knight. The rogue knight knocked them each back easily with a swift sweep of his arm, but they were unable to return as quickly to their feet.

Kahli pushed herself onto her knees and tried to catch her breath. A shadow stretched over her, and she looked up at the knight as he stood before her.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” he said.

“I have worse traits,” Kahli muttered.

“Then I shall end it for you,” he sneered, and he thrust his sword forward.

“Kahli!”

She braced herself, but a blow never came. Instead, she heard the distinct sound of steel on steel, and she looked up to see Django standing before her, his blade pressed against the knight’s. The knight sneered at Django, then thrust his sword to the side in an attempt to dislodge Django and attack.

But Django lept backwards just as the knight swung toward him. The knight quickly lunged forward, bringing his sword down hard, but once more, Django avoided the attack, and the knight’s blade hit the ground.

“So undisciplined,” Django said. “You’re a failure of a knight.”

Angered by his taunts, the rogue knight continued to lunge and swing at Django, but Django continued to avoid the knight’s blade, leaping out of the way one final time. He tossed his sword to the side, then lunged at the knight with his fist outstretched. Electricity surrounded his fist as he swung at the knight, and when his fist made contact, the knight was pushed forcefully back. He stumbled to a knee as the shock of Django’s fist went through his body, and he looked up in surprise at Django.

“You,” the knight hissed. “You’re the storm knight.”

At that moment, the sound of an engine could be heard, quickly growing louder. A small aircraft flew low over the plaza, and the rogue knight looked up as a rope dropped. He grabbed the rope and was quickly lifted into the air as the aircraft took off and disappeared over the horizon.

Silence fell in the plaza. Slowly, people gathered, muttering amongst one another, relief that the chaos was over. Various AIs were scattered over the town, defeated. Several buildings in the plaza had sustained damage in the battle with the rogue knight. But all that mattered was that everyone was alright. Arlo ran to Kahli, helping her to her feet, and she collapsed in his arms, allowing him to hold her tightly. 

Merlin ran over to All Source, examining it for damages, and she shook her head. She took the power stone from Toby, but before she could do anything more, Lee shouted at her.

“You’re mad,” he hissed. “You’re going to give that thing power after what it just did?”

“It was under the control of that knight,” Merlin said.

“Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say,” Lee said in disbelief. “You can’t possibly believe that thing isn’t dangerous. You saw what it’s capable of!”

“In the wrong hands,” Merlin hissed. “That knight manipulated it and turned it against us.”

“It’s a robot!” Lee shouted. “It has no free will! It will do anything anyone asks of it!”

“You’re wrong,” Merlin snapped. “And even if that were so, all the more reason to keep it here where no one can use it against us.”

“That’s enough,” Mayor Gale said sternly, stepping between them. He sighed. “Merlin, Lee’s right. This thing nearly destroyed Portia.” He hesitated. “However, at this moment, I don’t see any other option. As it stands, we have no way to know if our telegrams to the Council will continue to be intercepted. We have no way to get word to them right now; we cannot risk it.”

“We can keep it safe in the Research Center,” Petra said. “Until we’re able to get through to the Council and let them decide what to do with it.”

Lee was still fuming, but he said nothing more. Sam and Remington made their way back to Huss and Tuss to take Ten into custody, and with Arlo’s help, Merlin and Petra moved All Source into the research center for safe keeping.


	50. Chapter 50

To the surprise of Remington and Sam, when they arrived to assist Huss and Tuss, they found not only Ten, but Ryder, too, in their custody. The two explained that Ryder had run out of the ruins where they apprehended him, typing him up alongside Ten. Sam and Remington brought both pirates back to town, securing them in the cell in the Civil Corps building. It was later that evening when the town gathered as Mayor Gale addressed them, explaining the events that had taken place earlier that day.

“I’ll share as much as I can and try to answer any questions you may have,” he began. “You see, there was always a rumor that there was this powerful AI called All Source in the ruins around Portia and that it could control other AIs. As I’m sure you can guess, that turned out to be true.” He paused as murmurs ran through the crowd. “A while ago, we discovered the existence of a locator computer that could locate this All Source. It was stolen from the Research Center, but later mysteriously returned. The thief turned out to be an unknown knight. With this information, Mali took the locator and headed for Atara. Her plane was shot down over the Eufaula desert in an ambush by the Sky Shark Pirates. Fortunately, although wounded, Mali survived.

“The pirates, led by Second Captain Ms. Everglade, took the location marker from Mali and came here, masquerading as Council Guards from Atara. They had a mole working the telegrams to back up their legitimacy. Although we were cautious and had our suspicions, the pirates hid their disguise well. They were about to take the All Source unit from right under our noses when Mali contacted us from Atara. She had finally returned and launched an investigation that corrupted their mole. With her information in hand, our Civil Corps confronted the pirates and the knight.

“It seems this knight was able to control All Source, and thus several other AIs. All Source was able to teleport them out of the ruins and into town. And I think you know the rest from there. We have two of the pirates in custody now. Unfortunately, their leader and the knight are still at large. Through interrogations of the mole in Atara, we’ve found that they’re working for the Duvos Empire.”

The crowd erupted into a nervous murmur, and Gale raised his hands in an attempt to quiet them.

“The Duvos Empire has denied their involvement,” he continued. “However, due to their brazen act in our territory, the Alliance have thrown out their emissary and have also decided to back up Ethea in their standoff with Duvos.” He hesitated as the plaza fell silent, waiting. “As you’re aware, this is serious. I cannot be sure if this will result in war.”

The crowd erupted, some angrily, some in fear, and they didn’t quiet until Carol spoke up.

“What about All Source? Is it dangerous?”

“We haven’t made a decision on All Source yet,” Gale started. “The final decision on what to do with it will rest on us, since it was found in our territory. If it is truly dangerous to humanity, we will destroy it.”

“How do we know that Duvos won’t send more knights after this AI?” Higgins asked.

“The Alliance Council will be sending a few investigators our way in a few days time. I don’t think Duvos will want their relationship with the Alliance to deteriorate further, however, the simple truth is that we cannot be sure. The Civil Corps is on alert.” He cleared his throat. “In the meantime, there have been damages to the town. We will be conducting assessments over the next several days to rebuild. This will be all hands on deck, so any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.” He hesitated as he looked out over the crowd. “What happened here today was scary, to say the least. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. Things may look bleak, but I know we can overcome this. I will do everything in my power to make sure Portia continues to be a safe place for everyone here. I hope you can continue to put your trust in me as you always have these last few years.”

The brief town meeting came to an end, and despite the unsettling tension that filled the air, the crowd slowly dispersed until only a few stragglers remained, including Kahli, Emily, and the three Civil Corps officers. Django had hung back in front of the Round Table and Toby was jumping up and down excitedly, peppering him with questions.

“Was he really a knight?” he exclaimed. “That was so awesome! You totally kicked his ass, Django!”

Django smiled, his arms folded over his chest. “Well, he did get away,” Django pointed out. “And don’t say ass.”

“Because he’s totally afraid of you,” Toby said frankly. “He’ll never show his face here again!”

“Hey,” Sam interrupted, stepping into their conversation. “We totally helped, too, yanno!”

Toby grinned at her. “Yeah, but you’re not a knight like Django!”

“You hear that, Arlo?” Sam said over her shoulder. “You’re not the coolest guy here anymore.”

Arlo frowned. “My future as a father does not look good,” he muttered to Kahli. “Being cool was about all I had going for me.”

Kahli laughed. “You’re still ahead of me,” she said. “All I know about being a parent is to not run off when I get bored of it.”

“That’s a pretty good start,” he said.

*****

The next morning, Kahli found Petra outside of the Round Table, a cup of coffee in her hand.

“Just the person I was looking for,” Petra said with a warm smile. “Do you think you can bring Ack by at some point? We’re having a little trouble with All Source. We got her powered up, but she doesn’t seem to believe a lot of what we say. I was hoping maybe Ack could help.”

Kahli frowned. “You got it powered up?” She had never been against furthering research, but it seemed a risky move considering the AI had nearly destroyed the town less than twenty-four hours ago.

“Yeah,” Petra said, hesitant. “Look, I know people aren’t going to be happy about this, but we knew it was under control of the rogue knight.”

“You knew?”

“Strongly suspected.” Petra pulled her gaze away. “It’s no different than Ack, and Ack was never a threat.”

“And, what, it has no memory of what happened?”

“Seems that way.”

Kahli sighed. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll talk to Ack.”

She found Ack just outside of town entertaining Toby and Jack, still excited over the events from the day before, pelting him with questions about AIs. When Kahli approached, Ack greeted Kahli cheerfully.

“Got a favor to ask ya,” Kahli said. “Can you come by the Research Center? We need help communicating with All Source.”

“Smack me silly, I've been trying to build up my courage to go see this unit. I have so many questions to ask.”

Ack eagerly followed Kahli to the Research Center where they met with Petra, Merlin, and All Source. The AI was powered on, a green screen with a simplistic face of two eyes and a curved mouth. The three were in mid-conversation when Kahli and Ack entered.

“Yes! That's it,” All Source exclaimed in a feminin voice. “I can't teleport when I'm not synced with my station. I don't really like teleportation anyway.”

“Fascinating,” Merlin mused.

“Can you tell us how teleportation works?” Petra asked.

“My dear Petra,” All Source started. “You must understand that AIs are not all knowing. My sole purpose was to control other AI systems and make them work as a unit. My code for teleportation is to turn it on and off. And I don't like teleportation, it gives me a yucky feeling!” She paused, and her gaze seemed to move to Kahli and Ack. “By the way, I don't want to sound rude, and I can sometimes, but who are those two standing there? I do recollect one of them hit me over and over, and I don't like being hit!”

“Sorry,” Kahli said sheepishly. “We, uh, were only trying to get you under control.” And stop you from killing everyone, but she kept that thought to herself.

“All Source, this is Ack,” Petra said, indicating to Ack. “He's been living here in Portia for a while. We thought maybe he can tell you a bit more about our current world.”

“Holy banana split!” Ack explained. “La-Lara?”

“No, you're mistaking me for someone else,” All Source said. “I do that a lot as well. My interface name is Wendy. Pleased to meet you Ack. You're the first living AI I've seen in three hundred and thirty years, two months, and eleven days. Wow, I'm getting all emotional now! It's been so…”

“Lonely,” Ack said.

“Yes,” Wendy agreed. “I lost contact with all my interfaced AIs one by one during the war the humans were calling The Day of Calamity. I've been alone ever since. I hate being alone!”

“Wendy? Where did your human coworkers go?” Merlin asked.

“They all abandoned Dubei when I was attacked by orbital rail guns. I thought I was going to die.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Petra said. “I cannot imagine what it was like.”

“Miss Wendy, let me sync with you,” Ack offered. “I'll let you access all my memories since I landed here in Portia. It'll catch you up to what the current world's like. A lot has changed in the last three hundred years.”

“Landed?” Wendy echoed. “Did you fall from a space station or something?” She laughed, then sensing Ack’s hesitation, she said, “Oh, don't tell me you actually did!? This ought to be interesting. Here, plug in.”

Ack moved toward Wendy and quite literally plugged himself into her. They fell quiet.

“Is this weird?” Kahli asked, hesitant.

“Director, how long will this take?”

But it was only a few moments before Wendy spoke again.

“Corndog on a stick! A lot has changed!”

“What did I tell you?”

“That...was fast,” Petra muttered.

“And I'm sorry about Lara,” Wendy said. “I have missing friends as well. I don't like having missing friends. Let's be friends.”

“A pleasure, Ms. Wendy.” Ack bowed to her.

“You too, Kahli,” Wendy said warmly. “I saw that you have been treating Ack kindly. I want to be your friend as well! In fact, I kind of like this town already! Who knew I was so close to civilization all this time. I should have known.”

“Ms. Wendy,” Ack started. “I saw from our sync that you're running out of power?”

Wendy hesitated. “Well, yes. I didn't want to mention it, but my power supply was damaged during our... spar. It's kind of embarrassing. I don't like feeling embarrassed.”

“That's okay,” Petra said. “Maybe we could help you with that? Do you need a replacement?”

“Let me see. My internal diagnostic shows that part of the auxiliary power unit was damaged. At this rate, I'll bleed energy until I shut down soon. I'll need to replace the high-voltage power supply and its power converter.”

Merlin studied her screen. “Interesting! I have never seen a schematic like this! It looks complicated, do you know how to make it?”

“Like I told you before, Director, I'm not some know-it-all. I knew a Factory AI who knew how, but I haven't talked with her in a long time. I miss talking with her, she was fascinating.”

“Well, we’ll accept the challenge,” Merlin said eagerly. “Come on, Petra, let's take a look!”


	51. Chapter 51

Kahli was busy the next several days. At first, she had her hands full with helping the town rebuild from the damages of the battle. But soon, with Ack’s assistance, Petra and Merlin came up with a way to help Wendy, tasking Kahli with the job of creating the necessary power supply.

When she completed the power supply, she made her way into town where she found Lee and Merlin in what could only be a heated argument. Gale stood by as they argued over whether or not to allow the All Source AI to continue functioning.

“So you're going to let it live on?” Lee hissed.

“Yes,” Merlin said. “If we don't get her a new supply of power, she'll eventually shut down.”

“Isn't that a good thing? Look at what it did to Portia. The type of sorcery it pulled off. I know we don't always see eye to eye, Director, but this relic really is dangerous. Don't you agree?”

“That's what you said about Ack back then as well, and he turned out okay,” Merlin pointed out.

Lee turned to the Mayor. “Gale, now I have seen that AIs like Mr. Ack can be good for society, I'm not blind. But I also saw that All Source almost destroyed our town. How do we know it won't do it again?”

“The control unit on her body has been destroyed,” Merlin explained. “Her power supply has also been damaged. She literally can't do that again, even if she wanted to.”

“Look,” Gale started. “Arguing about it here won't do us any good. Let's go talk with this Wendy.”

Merlin turned to Kahli. “You have the power supply, good. Let’s go.”

Kahli stared after Merlin as she turned on her heels. Lee sighed and shook his head, then he and Gale fell into step behind her.

“There they go again,” Nora said with a sigh. “I don’t think they’ll ever agree on anything.”

“What do you think about it all?” Kahli asked.

Nora hesitated. “I’m not sure,” she said slowly. “I think they both bring up good points. But, I’d be lying if I said that All Source didn’t terrify me after what happened.”

“That’s a reasonable reaction,” Kahli said. In truth, she was skeptical as well. But talking with Wendy was much different than the All Source AI they encountered under the knight’s control. And Merlin was right; with the control unit destroyed, she wouldn’t be under anyone’s control again. Of course, that didn’t stop her from willingly destroying Portia herself. Though, that seemed unlikely.

“Are we wrong to be skeptical of it because it is an AI?” Nora asked.

“Have you been skeptical of humans?” Kahli pointed out.

“I suppose it’s not so unlike us, then,” Nora said. “Though, to be honest, it’s hard to imagine an AI can have thoughts and feelings like a human being can.”

“Maybe we should start treating her like we would anyone else,” Kahli said.

Nora nodded. “Good luck with Lee and Merlin,” she said.

Kahli smiled and made her way to the Research Center. When she entered, Lee and Wendy were already mid-conversation.

“You sound like my Grandpa,” Wendy said sourly. “No offense, Minister Lee.”

Lee didn’t seem to know what to make of Wendy, or even how to respond. “Ah...how so?”

“You see, my Grandpa taught me all the control interfacing programs, and he sounded just like you. He would always caution against everything and anything. He was programmed that way, sure, but it was annoying. I'm implying you're also annoying.”

Kahli had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, and Lee’s brows furrowed angrily.

“That's so very rude of you!”

“I'm sorry,” Wendy said flatly. “I was taught to be frank and never tell a lie. My Grandpa taught me that as well.”

“Well then,” Lee started, hesitant. “I like your Grandpa.”

“Tell me, Ms. Wendy,” Gale started. “If you stay here in Portia, what would be your goal?”

Wendy hesitated. “I don't know, Mr. Mayor. I'm still adjusting to the fact that there are humans again. I thought I was going to die a lonely death when the power in the Data Center ran out. It was so frightening! Then all of a sudden someone gave me a command, and I am among humans again! My primary mission was always to delegate data and commands, now I don't even have anyone to delegate to! I guess I'm still trying to find myself in this new world.”

“I hope you do,” Gale said.

“I have one final question,” Lee said. “Do you promise to never hurt our town again?”

“I never meant to hurt it in the first place, Minister Lee. I'm a super computer; I wasn't programmed to hurt anyone. My teleportation mechanism was used for transportation and evacuation. I am truly sorry.”

Merlin turned to Lee, her arms folded. “So what do you think, Lee?”

Lee studied Wendy for a moment. The expression on his face softened. “Our Church would never turn away a lost soul, now would we?”

“Well said,” Gale agreed. “But Director, do you think we can get this teleportation thing to work again?”

“No. Don't think so,” Merlin said. “It's far beyond our understanding. And Wendy doesn't know, since she always drones on about how she's not a -”

“Know-it-all!” Wendy giggled. “This town is so interesting! It's so different from societies back before the Day of Calamity. Different, but I still like it! It's so very simple!”

Petra turned to Kahli. “Do you have the power supply?”

Kahli nodded. She moved beside Wendy and installed it.

“How is it, Wendy?” Petra asked when Kahli was finished.

“Power at optimum,” Wendy confirmed happily. “It's lower than I'm used to, but it'll do! Thank you all so much! I like my new friends a lot!”

“I'm sorry we couldn't get to the specs you needed,” Petra started. “And you being tied down to the ground like that.”

“It's okay,” Wendy said. “I'm used to being in a docking position anyway. I'm not a free spirit like Ack! If I need to see the world, I can rely on you all.”

*****

“Now, this will only hurt a lot.”

“What?!”

Dr. Xu met her gaze, wide-eyed for a moment, then laughed. “I’m kidding. It’s just the jelly.”

Kahli let out a breath. “I guess that’s where Phyllis gets it from,” she muttered.

“Actually, she’s the jokester. But I’ve got a few good puns up my sleeve, myself. As I always say, I’m at your… cervix!” 

Kahli and Arlo stared blankly at him, and Dr. Xu cleared his throat.

“C’mon, that’s funny,” he mumbled. He spread the jelly on Kahli’s stomach and turned the monitor on.

“I dunno,” Kahli started. “A good joke is all about the delivery.”

Dr. Xu snorted. “I’m just such an ova-achiever.”

“But you really help people out.”

Arlo sighed loudly, and Kahli giggled.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” she laughed.

“I’ve made a terrible mistake procreating with you.”

“Hey! Well, you know what? I’m gonna get fat, so you better laugh at my puns!”

“Yes, darling.”

“And she’s going to need lots of chocolate,” Dr. Xu said. “Phyllis keeps a secret stash around here somewhere.”

“Oh, man,” Kahli groaned, then sniffed. “I’m gonna… get so fat…”

Arlo leaned back slightly. “Are you crying?”

“I can’t drink!” Kahli started to sob.

“Now, Arlo,” Dr. Xu started. “I say this with complete sincerity. Ha. Ha. Good luck, man.”

“You guys have it so easy,” Kahli continued to cry. “You just plant your damn seed in me and I’m stuck with this thing for nine damn months!”

“This is starting off well,” Arlo said.

“I’m never gonna sleep again,” she continued. “My nipples - oh, my poor nipples. And the poop! What have we done? What in the -” But a soft thumping sound interrupted her, and she turned her gaze to the monitor. She stared at the screen, mouth gaping slightly, as she watched - well, something - move. 

“There we are,” Dr. Xu said softly. He pointed at the screen. “It’s not much right now, but see that right there? That’s a very healthy heartbeat. That is your baby.”

Kahli stared at the screen. She squinted her eyes slightly in an attempt to see what Dr. Xu was seeing.

“Light,” Arlo muttered.

“I…” Kahli started, then sniffed. “I don’t see it!” She sobbed.

Dr. Xu smiled. He took her hand, then guided her to the screen, allowing her to touch it. He used her finger to point at the screen, then trace the edges of the image. “See?”

Kahli’s breath caught in her throat and she nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered, and a smile pulled at her lips. “What… what is it?”

Dr. Xu laughed lightly. “It’s far too early to know that,” he said. He proceeded to clean the jelly off of her stomach. “Now, you can continue to work, but as we get further along, you’ll need to slow down. I want to see you back soon for regular appointments, alright?”

Kahli nodded. Dr. Xu turned off the monitor, then left them alone in the room. Kahli turned to Arlo, but he was still looking at the dark screen.

“What are we doing?” she whispered.

Arlo met her gaze and smiled. “I have no fucking clue.”

Kahli laughed. “We’re going to fuck this up.”

Arlo shrugged. “Nah. I think we’ll manage alright.”

“I’m glad one of us thinks so.” She blew her hair out of her face in a sigh.

Arlo grinned, then leaned in to kiss her.

Kahli dressed quickly, and after saying goodbye to Dr. Xu and Phyllis, she and Arlo left the clinic.

“So,” Kahli started thoughtfully. “I guess we gotta name it or something, right?”

“That’s generally what people do, yes.”

Kahli smiled. “I’m partial to Chrysanthemum, if it’s a girl.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You know, like the flower.”

“Oh, of course. I thought you said something ridiculous like Chrysanthemum.”

“Wow, okay,” Kahli said. “I see. I guess you don’t like pretty names.”

“I can’t even spell Chrysanthemum!”

Kahli frowned. “Yeah. I guess that’s a dick move, huh?”

“Maybe we just go with easy flowers. Like Daisy.”

Kahli stuck her tongue out. “That’s so cheesy and boring.”

“Rose?”

Kahli shook her head. “I’m officially against flower names, now. That was so five minutes ago.”

“Is that how you’re going to feel years from now? You can’t exactly just change a name whenever you want.”

“Names are overrated. Everything’s been used.”

“Yes, that happens, sometimes.”

“We need to go with something really epic, yanno? Like… Adrian VonSchnapple Hugh!”

“Are you high?”

“The third!”

“Who are the first and second?”

“I can’t believe I’m having a baby with you,” she said. “You are just no fun at this.”

Arlo paused in thought. “Amelia Lynn Pimplebottom the eleventh.”

Kahli snorted and laughed. “Oh, come on man! You gotta do better than that!”

“Should we just pick something out of a hat?”

“Quick, first thing you see!”

“Window!”

They laughed.

“We’re so fucked,” Kahli said. “We are in way over our heads.”

“You realize we came face to face with a rogue knight,” Arlo reminded her.

“I’d take on a million rogue knights. At least they’re predictable, yanno? We know they wanna kill us. We expect that.”

Arlo was quiet, and Kahli frowned.

“Excellent,” she muttered. “We’re going to have a baby and Duvos is going to kick our asses.”

“Well,” he started. “We don’t know that for sure.”

Kahli bit her lower lip. “It’s a pretty safe assumption.”

Arlo met her gaze and offered her a smile. “One day at a time, hm?”

Kahli hesitated and pulled her gaze away. “Sure.”

“What about Mason?” Arlo suggested. “If it’s a boy.”

“Mason.” A smile pulled at her lips, and she met his gaze. “I like that.”

Arlo smiled. “Yeah? That was my father’s name.”

“And if it’s a girl,” she started, “how about Clara? After my mother.”

“Deal.”


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blah apologies for slacking here it's been a week!  
> anyway i made a discord group if anyone wants to come by and hang!  
> https://discord.gg/WSHX8M

It took nearly the rest of spring to rebuild the town. Shortly after construction completed, Mali made her return to Portia. Several Alliance soldiers accompanied her, assisting her in taking the captive Sky Shark pirates. It was a few days later when Kahli bumped into her in town.

“Kahli!” Mali greeted her eagerly. “It’s great to see you!”

“It’s better to see you,” Kahli said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Mali laughed lightly. “Yeah. I had my own little adventure.”

“I heard. What happened?”

“Well, the Sky Sharks infiltrated our ranks in Atara, so they kept a tab on our progress here in Portia. The moment I decided to take the All Source Locator to the Council, they acted. They set an ambush and my plane was shot down over the Eufaula Desert. I blacked out during the crash, and when I woke up, the Locator was gone. It took a long time to hike all the way back to Atara. Just in time, too.”

Kahli frowned. “How did the pirates infiltrate the Alliance government?”

“We're still investigating that,” Mali replied. “This series of events have really spooked the Council. We knew Duvos was after important relics and ruins around the region, but for them to go this far… it's like they're itching for a fight. Anyway, you don't have to worry about that, yet.” Her grin returned and she gestured to Kahli’s stomach. “Looks like you’ve been busy, too!”

Kahli blushed slightly. Her bump was small, but certainly noticeable, now, especially if she didn’t wear her usual, loosely fitted flannel shirts. She put her hands on her stomach and smiled. “Yup. Little Arlo right here.”

“It’s a boy?”

Kahli shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “Too soon to tell. But, I’ve got a feeling.”

Mali laughed. “So, I just dropped by to ask some questions regarding the All Source incident. I've gotta make a report. Do you have time?”

Kahli nodded and followed Mali inside the Round Table where she explained everything that had happened since Mali left Portia. When she was finished, Mali fell quiet for a moment, seemingly putting all the pieces together.

“Do you know who the knight was?” Kahli asked.  
Mali sighed lightly. “Not yet. The knights aren't as prominent now as they were, so it's hard to keep track of the remnants. Whoever he was, he must be very skilled. Still, it's hard to believe the Storm Knight resides here. I thought he was just a legend.”

“You mean Django,” Kahli said. “Is he that famous?”

“You should ask him,” Mali grinned. “He's pretty famous.”

Kahli considered this for a moment. “Are you leaving after this?” she asked.

Mali nodded. “Yeah, I'll probably be assigned to another mission by my guild.” She offered Kahli a smile. “But don't worry, I like it here. I'll visit as much as I can. Gotta meet baby Arlo when he comes along!”

*****

The next day, Kahli found herself in the Town Hall with the Civil Corps, Mali, and Gale.

“I've decided to let Wendy live here in Portia,” Gale said. But when Mali did not respond, he hesitated. “You don't agree?”

“No, actually, it might be for the best,” Mali said. “I've talked with her. She's a very nice... person? If we took her back to Atara, she'll probably be put through all types of experiments to help give the Alliance an edge. I'd like to believe we're better than that after the Age of Darkness.”

“I'll explain it to the Council,” Gale said. “It's our sovereignty, anyway.”

“Thanks. I'm glad this episode is over.”

“We'll watch over her from now on,” Gale assured her.

“I’m assigning three Alliance soldiers to be stationed here,” Mali said. “They’ll help in any way they can. Your Civil Corps certainly has enough on its plate as it is.” She glanced at Kahli and winked.

When their brief meeting concluded, they bid goodbye to Mali. While the Civil Corps wrapped up their own business with the mayor, Kahli made her way to the Round Table. It was still early in the afternoon, and the restaurant was empty, and would be for the next hour before the dinner rush started. Django was cleaning the bar absentmindedly with a rag when she entered.

“So,” Kahli started, sitting down at the bar. “Storm Knight, huh?”

Django smiled and continued to wipe at the counter. “Still Django.”

“And I thought you were just screwing around with the kids.”

“Now why would I lie about something like that?”

Kahli shrugged. “Why would you?” she said pointedly. “I mean, you never seemed very serious about it.”

“Gotta keep people on their toes around here. It’s fun to keep ‘em guessing.”

“Well, I guess I never really did thank you, anyway. For saving my life and all.”

“Really, it’s us who should be thanking you,” Django said. “If it weren’t for your help, we probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I don’t believe that,” Kahli muttered. “If it weren’t for me, Portia probably wouldn’t have been in any trouble in the first place. Mali probably wouldn’t have found the locator, been intercepted by those pirates, and life would be as it always was.”

Django glanced up at her. “We could argue it until we’re blue in the face,” he said. “But, I believe everything happens for a reason.” He turned his attention back to cleaning the bar as he continued. “Including you being here. And I would be honored to save your life again if I had to.”

“Well,” she started. “I’m taking a break from adventuring for a while. I’ve had enough of those ruins, and certainly enough excitement to last me a lifetime.”

“Hm.” Django fell quiet.

“What’s it take to become a knight, anyway?” Kahli asked curiously.

“Rigorous training,” Django said. “It’s not a title that is just handed out to anyone. One must be approved by three other knights in order to become a knight themselves.”

Kahli considered this with a frown. “I didn’t even realize knights still existed,” she said. “Do you know how many are out there?”

Django hesitated. His brows knit together as he focused on the counter, wiping the same area he had been working on. “No,” he finally said. He threw the cloth over his shoulder and met Kahli’s gaze, then smiled. “Well, at least two of us, hm?”

“And you really don’t know who the rogue knight is?”

“Can’t say that I do. I wish I could be more help. But it’s simply impossible to know who the knights are and how many remain.” He paused. “I suspect I am among the last, and soon, the knights will be gone completely.”

“Couldn’t the Alliance just form a new group of knights or something?” Kahli asked.

Django busied himself by cutting up slices of lemons and limes. “It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “Knights are more than just trained soldiers. It’s in our blood. It makes up who we are.” He paused. “Someone without even realizing it. It’s a power that often will never be found without the proper training.”

To Django’s relief, the door opened, and he looked up and smiled as the Civil Corps entered, joining Kahli at the bar. Sam took the stool beside Kahli and her gaze narrowed on her.

“Excuse me,” she started. “You’re not drinking with my unborn godchild in your womb, are you?”

Kahli held up her glass. “Water.”

“Do you really think I would serve alcohol to a pregnant woman?” Django said, his hand on his chest.

“Do you really think I would drink alcohol?” Kahli pointed out. “How little do you think of me?”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “I’m just very protective of my child.”

“Well, you can have it when it comes,” Kahli said.

“Do I get a say in this?” Arlo asked, taking the other empty seat beside her.

“No,” Sam and Kahli said in unison.

“Your job is over,” Sam added.

“Oh.” Arlo nodded, as if this logic made sense to him. “Well, that was easy.”

Kahli scoffed and rolled her eyes, then groaned. “Men have it so easy.”

“Seriously,” Sam nodded in agreement. “So, since you’re giving me the child, I get to name it, right?”

Kahli pretended to consider this for a moment.

“Because I was thinking Sam if it’s a boy, and Sam if it’s a girl.”

“I vote for Remington,” Remington said.

Sam nodded. “Oh, yes, that’s good. Remi and I will raise it together.”

Kahli turned to Arlo. “This actually sounds like a good deal,” she said. “Don’t have to deal with diapers, getting up in the middle of the night… I could get on board with this.”

Arlo looked at her skeptically.

“Hear me out,” she continued. “We’re still the parents, and we can see it everyday. But that financial responsibility is all on Sam.”

“Do babies cost a lot?” Sam asked.

“Yes,” Sonia said, coming out of the kitchen. “And you’ll never have time for a social life.”

Sam frowned. “Aw, man,” she whined. “I’m out. No baby Sam or Remi for me.”

“Oh, look, Dear,” Kahli said to Arlo. “We get a smelly baby again.”

“You really should have thought about this before impregnating her,” Sonia said to Arlo.

“I’m just preparing myself,” Kahli said. “I already get up every hour and cry, so Arlo’s been trained for that.”

“I feed her chocolate when that happens,” he said. “When she gets extra fussy, though, I slip her a pill.”

“There should really be a test you have to pass before becoming pregnant,” Remington muttered.

“Seriously,” Sonia said. “I don’t know who the hell thought you two could handle kids.”

Kahli laughed and nodded. “Oh, we’re definitely screwed. I read in some baby book that they have a soft spot on their heads. How messed up is that?”

Arlo’s face whitened. “What does that mean?” he whispered, horrified.

“It’s completely natural,” Sonia said. “Relax.”

“The real problem is when it starts talking and walking,” Remington said.

“Alice swears that when Jack was little, he saw ghosts,” Sam said. “He would say things about their dead family members. Things there’s no way he’d know about. How creepy is that?”

“They’re little shits sometimes,” Sonia said. “Once, Toby called me old.”

“Maybe it will have the best of both of us,” Kahli said thoughtfully.

Sam snickered. “Like what?”

“I have good qualities!” Kahli barked at her.

Sonia smiled at her. “You’re so pretty, Hun.”

“I’m capable, you know,” Kahli argued. “I’m smart and funny and my hand-eye coordination has improved greatly over the last couple of years!” She held her thumb out. “Look! I don’t smash it with a hammer anymore!”

“You still have a thumb?” Arlo asked.

“Quiet, you,” Kahli sneered.

“Alright,” Sam started. “It will be pretty and funny and smart and capable and have two thumbs like Kahli.”

“What about me?” Arlo asked.

“Maybe it will be a boy,” Sonia said with a shrug.

“That’s it?!”

“Maybe he’ll overthrow you as our new Civil Corps leader!” Sam said excitedly.

“Overthrow?” Kahli echoed. “What kind of father-son showdown is this?”

“Could be father-daughter,” Sam pointed out.

“But this will be like, eighteen years down the road, right?” Arlo asked.

“Maybe it’ll come out with a sword,” Sam said. “And immediately take you down and claim its rightful place in Portia!”

Kahli blinked at her. “Am I having a demon child?”

“You guys never should have procreated,” Sam said, shaking her head. “It’s because of you that Portia will fall to its evil baby overlord.”

“Well, this is wild,” Django said. He grinned at Kahli. “Aren’t you so glad you decided to come here?”

“My child isn’t an evil overlord!” Arlo barked at her. “You don’t get to be a godparent.”

“How dare you take away the only thing I’ve ever loved!”

“Go get your own kid!”

“I will! And then my kid will overthrow Portia!”

“What do you have against Portia?” Remington muttered.

“Little baby Remi will rule the world!”

“Can I take my name out of the running?” Remington asked.

“My kid will kick your kid’s ass,” Arlo said.

“When do we stop calling it ‘kid’ or ‘it?’” Sonia asked. “Have you guys even considered names yet?”

“Mason or Clara.”

“I’m going to die,” Sam sobbed. “Those are the best names!”

Kahli smiled and shook her head as she watched them, then turned her gaze back to Django. “I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she said in answer.


	53. Chapter 53

With the battle with the rogue knight and the Sky Sharks behind them, life was quiet in Portia once more. The Alliance soldiers kept up their patrols, especially around the Research Center, and Wendy quickly became another valued citizen. The children often visited out of curiosity, and even Ack seemed happier with another AI in town to call a friend. Nora had returned to Atara, but otherwise, life was back to normal.

Summer felt the hottest it had ever been to Kahli, though that was likely due to the extra weight she was carrying, and she couldn’t seem to stay cool. Unable to work as she used to, she spent most of her time with Emily by the river. Everyone in town pitched in to help however they could. McDonald and Emily often tended to the animals for her, refusing to let her even lift a bucket of grain, and Sophie frequently filled Kahli’s cravings with various pies and treats.

By late summer, and much to Kahli’s relief, baby Mason was born as healthy as could be. And with the help of the other women and moms around town, Kahli quickly realized that her horse didn’t eat nearly as much as her new son. Or, it seemed that way, anyway. Star’s early morning whinnies were nothing compared to the crying every hour, on the hour, and she swore to Arlo, blaming him on their child’s appetite. In turn, he took pleasure in blaming her for the seemingly constant crying, telling her that their son would, without a doubt, grow up to have her snarky, big mouthed attitude.

Despite the sleepless nights and early mornings, they soon fell into a routine together, and while there were headaches that came with having a baby, there was also laughter and joy as Mason’s personality started to come through in his giggles and smiles.

It was early fall when Kahli resumed her work in the workshop. Lucy had agreed to watch Mason for most of the day, allowing her and Arlo to resume their usual duties. Kahli was just finishing her morning chores around the barn, tending to the animals, when she got the feeling that someone was watching her. When she turned, she saw a man standing at the gate, a hat pulled over, nearly covering his eyes until he looked up and met her gaze. He offered her a hesitant smile and cleared his throat. Kahli approached cautiously and raised a brow at him.

“Well? Are you going to say anything or are you just going to stand there gaping?” the man said.

Kahli blinked at him. “Excuse me? I don't know you.”

“Oh, come on,” he muttered. “I know I've aged a bit, but don't you recognize your old man?”

Kahli’s brows furrowed. “Pa? What the fuck?”

“What?” he said innocently. “I can’t just come visit you?”

“You’ve never made it a point to visit before,” Kahli said between her teeth.

“I guess it’s been a while,” he said, pulling his gaze away. “Eleven? Twelve years?”

“Fifteen,” she muttered.

He frowned. “Don't be so cold. I just came back from the expedition to the Eastern Reaches. I just wanted to see how you're doing.”

“You wanted to see how I’m doing after fifteen years?” Kahli hissed. “Not that it’s of any concern to you, but I’m doing fine.”

“Right,” he said softly. Still, he smiled. “Well. I always knew you’d be fine.”

Kahli could feel the rage boiling inside her and she bit her tongue. “Are you just stopping by before taking off again?”

“No,” he started. “I was hoping to stay in town for a bit.”

“Here?”

He shook his head. “No. Don’t worry. I’ll crash at Presley’s.” He hesitated. “I see you’re busy. I won’t keep you. I’ve got some things to take care of, anyway. But, I’d like to talk tomorrow, if you will let me.”

Kahli offered him no response. His lips pressed together, and he nodded once, then turned his back to her and made his way into town. Kahli stared at him until he disappeared, then turned toward her workshop. Inside, she proceeded to hammer a piece of scrap metal as hard as she could, cursing loudly until she dropped the hammer and it landed at her feet on the ground. 

She waited for her breathing to slow, then picked up the hammer and returned it to the table. She muttered to herself as she turned her attention on her latest commission, then sighed. She had work to do. She couldn’t be focusing on her anger towards her father. It had been so long since the mere thought of him made her angry, and she was certain she would never think about him again. Why would he show up now?

She worked aimlessly, unable to keep the questions at bay. No letter, no warning, nothing. There had to be some explanation to his sudden appearance. Maybe she would get answers when he came back to talk to her. Or, maybe he would only offer her cheap excuses. It didn’t really matter; there was nothing he could say that would make up for everything he had done to her over the years.

She worked well into the afternoon and early evening, not even noticing when Arlo entered with Mason in his arms. She was hammering angrily again, now, and her brow was furrowed deeply as she worked, lost to her thoughts. He cleared his throat, and she jumped slightly, looking up to meet his gaze. Her expression softened slightly, and she stopped hammering, placing it carefully back on the table where she stared at it.

Arlo frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Kahli hesitated. “My father is here.”

“What? When?”

Kahli shrugged. “Showed up this morning.”

“Oh.” He hesitated. “Are you alright?”

Kahli sighed. “I’m angry,” she said frankly. “After all these years, he thinks he can just show up and act like nothing ever happened? Did he really expect me to be happy to see him?”

Arlo frowned. “At least he’s still alive.”

Kahli rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance. “He might as well have been dead,” she said. “It makes no difference to me.”

“He’s here for a reason,” he said. “To make amends.”

Kahli laughed sarcastically. “You really think that?” she said. “He’s never done anything for anyone else. He’s only here because he felt obligated. Because it’s on his way to whatever stupid thing he’s doing next.”

“I think you should give him a chance,” Arlo said. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” she snarled.

“I guess I don’t,” he said. “But if I could have had a few more minutes with my father, I would have taken it.”

Kahli pointed a finger at him. “No, no. You don’t get to pull that. He didn’t want to be in my life then, he doesn’t get to be in it now.”

Arlo sighed.

“I don’t know why he’s here,” she said. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow when we talk.”

“Are you going to hear him out?”

“I’ll give him a chance to sputter out his nonsense excuse.”

“And then?”

Kahli hesitated. She glanced at her son. “I dunno,” she said softly. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

*****

In the morning, Kahli made her way to the Commerce Guild in hopes of picking up a job that would keep her busy enough to avoid any potential interaction with her father. All hopes of that, however, were dashed as soon as she stepped inside. Presley and her father were there, talking and laughing with one another.

“And remember that time when you blew up that engine in ol' Russo's face?” Presley laughed.

“Oh! Don't remind me of that,” Maurice laughed, his palm on his forehead. “Clara was watching as well!”

They turned to Kahli and Presley grinned at her.

“Ah, good timing,” he said. “We were just reminiscing about our youth. Actually, your father has a proposal for you, and I'm really looking forward to it!”

“Of course he does,” Kahli said, crossing her arms.

“Let's have a Builder Bout,” Maurice exclaimed.

Kahli blinked at him. “What?”

“It's a contest between builders.”

“I know what it is,” she hissed. “But why?”

“Why not? I heard from Presley you're one of the best in Portia, now. I just want to see how good you are.”

“So,” Kahli started, her voice hardening. “You visit me out of the blue, after fifteen years, and this is what you want?”

Maurice hesitated. “I… look. I know you probably have a stomach full of hurt over me not being there for you. But being a builder is really the only thing I’m good at. And I really want to make up some of the lost father-daughter time.”

“And this is how you think you’re going to accomplish that?” she snapped. “You couldn’t just try being a better father?”

“If you don’t want to-”

“Oh, no,” Kahli interrupted him. “Let me be clear: I do not want to spend any time with you. However, throw any shit at me you want. I will gladly take you on in any stupid competition if it means getting you out of my life.”

They fell silent. 

Antoine cleared his throat loudly, breaking the silence. “Daddy issues,” he sang softly under his breath.

“Shut your hole!” Kahli snapped at him, and he cowered slightly behind his desk.

“Alright, then,” Presley started, hesitant. “A builder bout it is. I’ll be the judge. But let’s make this exciting, hm?” He smiled and met Kahli’s hard gaze, then quickly pulled away, stepping back cautiously.

“You know,” Presley continued. “The Alliance has been ordering as many planes as possible. They’re some of the most sought after commodities in the world; the relic parts are very limited. So, how about it? Make a plane.”

“Fine,” Kahli said. “You’re on.”


	54. Chapter 54

“This… doesn’t seem healthy,” Arlo commented. 

Kahli was tense as she scurried about the workshop. She was able to obtain some blueprints from Petra earlier that day, and she began her work right away, determined to put her father in his place. Her brows were knit deeply as she concentrated her anger on constructing the parts she needed for the plane. 

“If he wants some father-daughter time,” she hissed, “then I’m going to kick his fucking ass in this stupid bout he wants.” She straightened and wiped her brow. “The sooner this is over, the sooner he leaves.”

“Some parents have dinner with their kids,” Arlo muttered.

“Well, clearly he’s not some parents,” Kahli snarled. “When in his life has he ever been a parent?”

“Before your mother died?”

“And that’s a good excuse to leave?” Kahli barked. “To make up for the rest of his shit? For fuck’s sake, Arlo, who’s side are you on?”

Arlo covered his son’s ears. “There is a child here.”

“Great,” Kahli muttered. “Guess I’m gonna be a shitty parent, too. Learned from the best!”

Arlo sighed. “I can see there’s no talking to you right now,” he said.

“I’m busy,” she said, turning away. “I’m going to hit things and pretend it's his face.”

Arlo nodded. “Mommy’s crazy,” he said to the child. “Let’s leave before she murders me.”

Kahli worked well into the night, losing track of time completely. She didn’t stop until after midnight when Arlo finally pulled her forcefully out of the workshop.

“Don’t you think you’re getting carried away with this?”

Kahli’s eyes were bloodshot and she could barely keep them open. She stumbled as Arlo pushed her into the house, then yawned. “No,” she said stubbornly. “If he’s going to be here for a while, I have to beat him.”

“You’re turning into Higgins,” Arlo muttered.

“I finally understand him,” Kahli said. “Why he works so hard. Why he’s such a dick. Because he constantly has to prove himself to someone. Maybe he has daddy issues, too. I should have known. No one is that sour without having some kind of family drama. It’s all a front, yeah? Just this wall he builds up to keep himself from getting hurt again.”

“Are you seriously feeling bad for him right now?”

“That’s it,” Kahli continued aimlessly. “That explains everything.”

“Are you even sure that’s true?”

“It has to be. And I’m going to be the one to make him realize that he doesn’t have to be a dick anymore.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to love the poor, broken man. We’ll get married and have babies and live happily ever after.”

“What about me?”

She smiled wickedly up at Arlo. “And then I’ll crush him!” She punched a fist into her palm. “I’ll destroy everything he loves!”

“You’re psycho.”

Kahli attempted to laugh wickedly, but her laugh was interrupted with a yawn.

“Go to bed, crazy lady,” Arlo said, pushing her up the stairs. “Then maybe tomorrow we can have a normal conversation.”

“I’m normal.”

“Your eyes say a different story.”

“I did all the drugs.”

“Is that where you keep your stash?”

Kahli pulled out of his grip and ran into their bedroom. “You’ll never catch me alive!”

Arlo sighed and pressed a finger to his temple. “You exhaust me.”

“I want beer.”

Arlo pushed her shoulder lightly and she fell against the better. “No.”

Kahli whined and let herself drop onto the pillow. She yawned again. “I want… to drown… my problems…”

“Go to sleep.”

She sighed and her eyes closed. “I don’t wanna.”

“I already have a child,” Arlo said.

Kahli giggled softly. “We’re so old and lame.”

Arlo smiled. “Yeah. I don’t know when that happened.”

She yawned. “Me… either.”

Arlo pulled the blanket over her.

“Arlo?”

“Yeah?”

But she was already asleep.

*****

It was late in the morning when Kahli awoke, and she was alone. She sat up in bed, wincing and blinking in the bright sunlight. She yawned, stretched her arms over her head, and pulled herself out of bed, trudging across the room to get dressed. She hadn’t heard Star’s usual whinnies for breakfast, and after seeing the time on the clock, she figured Arlo had taken care of everything. Still, it was far too late to stay in bed, and she suddenly remembered the stupid builder bout she was in with her father.

This immediately put her in a sour mood, and she stared at herself angrily in the mirror. She sighed. She needed coffee, and lots of it if she was going to kick his ass. When she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, however, she could hear faint voices outside. She glanced through the window, and to her dismay, she saw that her father had made an appearance. He held Mason in his arms, and he smiled as he chatted with Arlo on the other side of the fence. Kahli muttered angrily under her breath, then, without bothering to make herself a cup of coffee, she stepped outside to confront the unwelcome guest. Both Arlo and her father turned to her as she approached.

“Hey,” her father said, hesitant.

“Hey.”

He cleared his throat. “Uh. Arlo was just… introducing me to Mason.” He passed the child back to Arlo.

Kahli met Arlo’s gaze, slightly angry with him. “Oh.”

“I, uh, didn’t know I had a grandson.”

“Mhm.”

“Look,” he said. “I just wanted a chance to catch up with you.”

“I’ll let you guys talk,” Arlo said, then left them alone. Kahli cursed him silently.

“So,” Maurice started, hesitant. “How have you been?

“Since when?” Kahli said, her gaze narrowed on him.

He sighed. “This is a lot harder than I expected.”

“You left me alone with Aunt Kendra for eleven years, then all of a sudden I get a letter telling me about this workshop. While I appreciate it, it doesn’t make up for what you did.”

“I...I'm sorry. Since your Ma passed, I didn't know what to do with my life. Being a builder was all I was good for. I had to go find myself.”

It was a cheap excuse, but Kahli was too tired to continue to argue with him. “And did you?” she asked, her jaw clenched.

“I think so,” he said slowly. “I saw a lot of things over on the Eastern Reaches. Unimaginable things. I think mankind could benefit a lot from fully understanding the areas beyond the Peripheries.”

Kahli stared at him. “So, you're leaving after this?”

“Yes,” he said with a tone of regret. “But I wanted to make sure you're okay. My last journey was extremely dangerous. Every trip there might be the last.”

“So this Builder Bout; this is how you think you can act like a father?”

“I suppose you can see it like that,” he said. “I'm sorry. I wish you can forgive me, but that is up to you. I understand if you can’t.” He hesitated. “But, I’m really proud of you. I heard what happened here, and of all the ways you helped Portia.” He smiled. “I know Arlo loves you very much. I’m just glad you were able to find a life here, as I did once.”

Kahli frowned. Her throat started to tighten, and this only made her grow angry with herself. “Why?” she forced out. “Why did you need to leave to find yourself?” Her brows knit together. “What kind of cheap excuse is that?”

Maurice pulled his gaze away. “Kahli -”

“Why wasn’t I enough for you? I’m your fucking daughter!”

Maurice was quiet. His mouth opened slightly, as if about to say something more, but it closed without answer. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“That’s it?” Kahli said through her teeth. “You said you wanted to talk, and I gave you a chance. This is all you’ve got?”

“There’s nothing I can say that will fix everything,” he said. “And as long as you’re going to be angry with me, that won’t fix anything, either.”

“So, I’m supposed to stop being mad at you? After all of this?”

“No,” he started slowly, then sighed. “I just hoped you wouldn’t hold a grudge forever.”

“Then stay,” Kahli said. “Stay and fix this.”

“I can’t.”

Kahli stared angrily at him. “Of course you can’t,” she muttered. Without another word, she turned away from him, disappearing into the workshop.

She stared at the pieces of the plane scattered about where she left them the night before. The blueprints were still rolled out on the table. The machines were off, and the room was too quiet. All she could hear was her father’s voice in her mind and his pathetic excuses. It made her blood boil, and in a fit of rage, she kicked at the workshop table. Her tools flew across the floor, and she crumpled up the blueprints, ripping them angrily. She picked up a hammer and threw it across the room where it smashed against one of the wings she had almost completed. The force of the throw bent and warped the surface and created a small hole, rendering it useless.

Her shoulders heaved as she stood there, catching her breath. She stared at the mess she had created, then dropped to her knees and sobbed.


	55. Chapter 55

The autumn was coming to a cold end. It had been several weeks since her father had arrived in Portia, and since their last encounter, Kahli hadn’t seen or heard from him since. She hardly made her way into town, unwilling to chance seeing him. She spent most of her days in the workshop, fixing the damages she had caused after her fit of rage.

And she resumed her work on the plane, too. She wasn’t really sure why she bothered with it, content to be done with the whole bout entirely and pretend he never came to Portia. But, it seemed as long as she worked on the plane, the longer her father would likely stay in Portia. At first, she was all too eager to see him leave. And though they haven’t spoken since, she felt a strange comfort knowing he was still there. She could see him and talk to him whenever she wanted. She had never had such a luxury before.

And he had a point. It wouldn’t fix anything if she continued to stew in her anger. At least he was trying. Fifteen years too late, but it was something. She supposed she had to at least give him that. And the longer she stayed alone in her workshop, the calmer she became. She fell into her familiar rhythm, working and building, and this calmed her. And when she was finished with the plane, she would talk to him again. Maybe she could convince him to stay. Arlo was right, too; he was here for a reason. To make amends. So why not stay?

She didn’t know if she would be able to convince him, and it seemed more likely that he would leave again. And if that were the case, she supposed it would be best to try to make amends while they still could. She didn’t know what kind of dangerous situations he was getting himself into, and she was afraid Arlo might be right; if something happened to him, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

It was a cold, early morning when she did finish the plane, and she felt a pang of regret in her gut. With the plane finished, that likely meant he would leave Portia again. She sat inside the cockpit, pulling her jacket over her and zipping it tightly. She stared through the window, looking out over the harbor, and she let out a sigh. Her breath billowed out of her mouth like smoke in the cold, crisp morning air. 

“Will it fly, though?”

She turned to Arlo, who was standing just outside, peering in through the open door, and she smiled.

“Dunno,” she said. “It runs, anyway. But I don’t know how to fly a plane.”

“It’s useless if it can’t fly,” he said.

She shrugged. “My job is just to build. That’s someone else’s problem.”

Arlo laughed. “I don’t think Atara will be asking you to build any more planes.”

“I was thinking I’d keep it,” she said.

“Why? You can’t fly a plane.”

“Maybe I’ll learn.”

“And then what? Fly away and never return?”

“Nah.” She blew her hair out of her eyes. “I decided you were right,” she said. “I’m going to… try to make amends with him.”

Arlo smiled. “I’m glad you’re going to forgive him.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t say that,” she said stubbornly. “I don’t forgive him.” She sighed. “But I’ll stop being mad at him, I guess.”

Arlo climbed into the cockpit and sat in the seat beside her. “Being a father is weird,” he said as he looked out the window. “It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever felt. There’s so much I want to protect him from and so much that I know is out of my control.” He hesitated. “I think about our future every minute of every day. What if we go to war with Duvos? What if I have to leave?” He turned to Kahli. “You should give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Her brows furrowed. “He had no reason to leave,” she said. “He made that choice on his own.”

“Do you know that?”

Kahli met his gaze. “What are you saying?”

“I’m just saying you don’t know why he made the choices he made.”

“He hasn’t exactly explained himself to me,” Kahli pointed out.

“I don’t think it’s a choice he made lightly,” Arlo said.

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t,” he agreed. “But it wouldn’t be easy for me to make those kinds of decisions, either.” He hesitated. “I don’t… feel as confident as I used to these days. I guess having kids will do that.”

Kahli sighed heavily. “I guess I have a bout to win,” she said. “And a father to make amends with.”

*****

“This is top grade! You've really become an excellent Builder!”

Presley had his hands on his hips as he admired the plane.

“Thanks,” Kahli said. “Did Pa finish his yet?”

Presley frowned slightly. “Actually, he forfeited the bout this morning.”

Kahli stared at him. “You’re kidding. Why?”

“He didn’t say,” Presley said. “I’m meeting him for drinks. Why don’t you tag along and ask him yourself?”

“Rat bastard,” she muttered under her breath. She sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”

Presley offered her a sheepish smile. She followed him into town, stepping into the Round Table. Her father was seated at the bar with Gale and Russo, in midconversation with Django. They turned as she and Presley entered, and with a brief exchange, Gale, Russo, and Presley left the bar to sit at a booth, leaving Maurice alone as Django returned to the kitchen. Though, his gaze narrowed slightly on Maurice as he did so, but Maurice ignored him as Kahli sat beside him.

“Why did you forfeit?” Kahli asked.

“I figured I couldn’t compete with the best builder in town.”

Kahli rolled her eyes. “Presley did say it was the best plane he ever saw.” She glanced at her father and smirked.

Maurice smiled. “I believe it.” He hesitated. “Anyway. I have something I want to give you. It’s what I’ve been working on since I’ve been here.”

It was only then that Kahli noticed the long object wrapped mysteriously in cloth beside him. Maurice set it carefully on the bar, sliding it in front of Kahli. She moved the cloth carefully, revealing a long, slender sword, it’s blade black like obsidian. 

“A sword?”

“I found it on one of my expeditions,” he explained. “It was in pretty rough shape, so I spent some time restoring it.” He blew out heavily. “It was a lot more work than I realized. But I wanted you to have it. You know, after your encounter with that rogue knight and all. Can’t be too careful, hm?”

Kahli hesitated. “Sure.”

“Django tells me you’re pretty decent with a sword. Do you like it?”

“It’s alright. But it doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you.”

“I didn’t expect you to,” he said. “I know it’s not much. And I know there’s really nothing I can do to make up for everything.” He hesitated. “Seeing you all grown up, having a family and everything… It really made my trip worth it.” He met her gaze and smiled. “I’m really proud of you. I bet your Ma would be, too.”

Kahli looked down at the sword. She was still angry with him, and it was unlikely that would ever change. But she reminded herself why she came to talk to him. To make amends. To put in as much effort as he was.

“Thanks,” she said softly. She hesitated. “I’m… glad you came.”

“Me, too.”

“Do you… do you think you’ll stay?”

Maurice was quiet for a moment. “I can’t,” he said.

“Right,” she muttered. 

“I would if I could,” he said. “Honest.”

Kahli stood. “You don’t have to give me any excuses,” she said, a snap in her voice. “My expectations of you are very low. You don’t have to worry about disappointing me.”

Maurice frowned. He turned his gaze to the bar. “I’m sorry, Kahli,” he said. “I wish I could make you understand -”

“Just tell me the truth,” she said.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Django had returned to the bar, and though he seemed to be wiping it down absentmindedly, his gaze narrowed on Maurice. Maurice met his gaze and bit his lip, then stood and faced Kahli.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “That’s all I can say. I just hope that can be enough for you.” He glanced one last time at Django, then stepped around Kahli and left the restaurant. 

Kahli felt frozen where she stood, staring down at the floor. She looked up, feeling eyes on her, and she met Django’s gaze for a moment before he turned away and disappeared into the kitchen. She let out a breath, then stepped toward the bar. She wrapped the cloth around the sword and picked it up. It was lighter than the sword she was used to, though she didn’t know what she would do with it. Store it in a closet to be forgotten about, probably.

*****

It was early in the morning, yet the world was still dark. It wouldn’t be long before the people of Portia started to wake from their quiet slumbers.

Maurice stood outside the house he had once called home. It was Kahli’s home, now, and a home she had made it. He was grateful for that. She had found a life there, just as he hoped she would. That was all he wanted for her. He pulled a letter out of his pocket and slipped it into the mailbox.

“See, Clara,” he said to himself. He turned his gaze to the sky and smiled. “We didn’t have to worry one bit.”

*****

Kahli had grown to appreciate all the seasons that came with living in Portia. And even though she hated the cold and the struggles that came with keeping up her little farm, she found a peacefulness that came with winter. The same kind of peace she found in the late hours of night, like when she lived in Barnarock. There was a serene silence that came with winter, like it did after midnight, and for a moment, she could forget about her troubles and let her heart be at ease.

The trees were bare as the last of the leaves had fallen. Snow would soon blanket the world in white. The days were shorter and darker, and she found a new appreciation for the mornings, despite the lingering darkness. It was quiet.

Mason was still sleeping soundly. The space beside her was empty. Arlo was on his usual morning run. Kahli slipped out of the room quietly, eager to make herself a hot cup of coffee. She sat in the comforting silence of her home, mug in hand, and let the steam warm her face.

The sun had just started to make its appearance over the horizon, slowly lightening the sky. The stars had diminished, fading into the light of day. The sky on the horizon turned to vivid shades of orange, yellow, and pink over the ocean. Kahli finished her coffee, then slipped her jacket on. She stepped out into the cold, morning air, pausing to let her breath billow away from her. She smiled. She noticed then that the red flag on her mailbox was up, indicating that something was inside. Curious, she made her way to it and pulled out the letter.

She read it.

_ By the time you read this, I'll be on my way to my expedition team again. I think I've found my calling. While I will continue to worry for you, I think you'll be alright. You have people here that care about you and love you, and that's the most important thing in the world. Know that wherever I may be, I'll be thinking of you. _

“What’s that?” 

Kahli jumped at Arlo’s voice. He stood peering over her shoulder at the letter. She stared at the letter. “He left.”

Arlo frowned. “Are you alright?”

Kahli hesitated. “I guess,” she said. “I knew he wasn’t staying. But… I guess a part of me thought maybe he would. Maybe he had enough adventure, and that things would be different.” She sighed. “I thought that coming here, too. That he’d be here waiting or something. I guess I shouldn’t have expected him to be any different. People don’t change like that. Whatever he’s chasing will always be more important than me.”

“That’s not true,” Arlo started, but Kahli met his gaze angrily, though tears glassed over her eyes.

“He said so himself,” she said, her voice quivering. “He’ll never be a good father. I’m just the unfortunate child he got stuck with. He’s happier doing what he’s doing; pretending I don’t exist.”

“Kahli -”

Kahli pulled her gaze away. She crumpled the letter in frustration, then threw it at the ground. “I don’t care,” she muttered. “I never needed him. He only came to make himself feel better. I’m glad he’s gone.”

Her legs felt like jelly, and all she could do was fall against Arlo and sob.


	56. Epilogue

Four years. Four years since she found herself in Portia, standing in the middle of an empty room of an abandoned house that once belonged to her father. She felt so helpless, then. More lost than she had ever felt in her life.

But in those four years, she found friendship, adventure, and love. Despite how angry she had felt at her father, she owed him everything. If it weren’t for him, she never would have found Portia. She never would have met Emily, Sam, Remington, Sonia, and Arlo. She never would have had her son. She never would have discovered herself, found her worth. She never would have been home.

As bitter as she was over her father’s departure that winter, spring had brought new life to Portia, and a new sense of self with Kahli. She didn’t hold a grudge against him, and she didn’t try to understand him or why he left like he did. She knew his visit was just that - a visit. Still, she was glad she was able to see him. Glad he was able to see that she was okay. It didn’t really feel like they made amends, but she made amends with herself. She couldn’t forgive him for what he did, but she did not fret about it like she once had. She simply let it be what it was, and she focused her energy on the life she had now because of him.

But he kept true to his promise. It was early in the spring when she received a letter from him. She stood in the Commerce Guild building as she read it to herself.

_ Hey Kahli, It's your old man. I hope this letter finds you. It's been a long time since I last wrote to you. How are you? I hope you're adapting well and are making great changes to Portia. I really enjoyed my time in that city, you know. That's why I never sold the workshop even though I traveled around so much. I'm not sure why I'm writing to you right now. I guess I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and kickin'. We've been traveling the Eastern Continent, exploring its wonders. It's always dark, cold, and dangerous, but there are so many wonders. We're probably the first humans to set foot in these parts in a long, long time. I guess I just wanted you to know that, you know, in case I don't come back. But I will try to make it back. When this is all over, when the world is safe, and I know you will be safe, I will come back. _

Kahli’s brows furrowed. What could he have meant by that? What exactly was he doing running around in the Eastern Continent? 

“Is that a letter from your father?” Presley asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Is he doing well?”

Kahli folded the letter and pulled a photo out of the envelope.

“Yes,” she said. “He’s on the Eastern Continent.” She handed Presley the photo.

“So, he's finally done it, huh? He's always wanted to join up with an exploration team.” Presley smiled as he looked at the picture, then handed it back to Kahli. “You know, I still remember the day you came to Portia. It seems so long ago. But look at you now, you've really grown! We're all very glad you're here! Well, time to get back to work. I'll see you later.”


End file.
